The Lord's Work

THANK YOU for all of your recent supportive, encouraging comments and "virtual hugs".  They have helped to buoy me up the past couple of weeks.

One of the first comments I received from another foster mom was, "this is gods will and we are here to just help him carry it out...even if it takes some heartache."

Her words stood out to me as do the words a young mother wrote regarding motherhood:

"Through the thick and the thin of this, and through the occasional tears of it all, I know deep down inside I am doing God's work."

Just this morning I came across a quote on a friend's blog which I've read and heard many times but it really sunk in as I specifically applied it it to being a foster parent:

                                                             

I feel very strongly that God works through other people and that FAMILY IS EVERYTHING.  If I can be an instrument in His hands to help a family get a second chance to stay together then it is worth all of the heartache.  (and maybe I'll even get a little heavenly "extra credit" in the meantime to make up for all of my weaknesses and imperfections).

More thoughts on the subject which have resonated with me:

I have heard it said that "God couldn't be everywhere at once so he created mothers." 

Allow me to tweak that thought: Sometimes mothers and fathers need some extra help and children need a safe home environment while their parents work things out- (granted they can work things out).  In such cases, I think it's appropriate to say

 

"God couldn't be everywhere at once so he created foster families."

I'm grateful and humbled to be part of a system, as flawed as it may sometimes be, which gives parents, like Christian's father, a second chance.  [Had Christian been placed back into his mother's care, on the other hand, I would have had some serious concerns for his safety.  One of the biggest fears we had after learning that his mother was going to be given reuinification services was that he would return to her care and we would be watching the news one night and hear a story about shaken baby syndrome; Then we'd see a mug shot of his mother appear on the screen.]  

Two final thoughts:

"Nurturing the young, comforting the frightened, protecting the vulnerable, teaching and giving encouragement need not- and should not- be limited to our own children"  -Russell M. Nelson

"If you're listening, if you're awake to the poignant beauty of the world, your heart breaks regularly. In fact, your heart is made to break; it's purpose is to burst open again and again so that it can hold ever more wonders." -Andrew Harvey