God's Got This, Baby!

Foster:  encourage or promote the development of (something, typically something regarded as good).

Sometimes God taps you on the shoulder and let's you in on a plan he has for your life.  Sometimes, should you ignore or put off the tapping, he sticks out a Godly branch for you to to trip over.  As you fall face first to the ground you are left staring His plan in the face.  This is how it was for me and Gods desire for us to be foster parents.  

 The idea of adoption or fostering isn't' a new one for B and I.  We have talked about it off and on over the years.  It was always a nice idea for "down the road."  We had a picture of it in our heads, our kids grown and taking on some older children that struggled finding anyone else to take them in.  This was the plan.  I have learned though, God's plan doesn't always mesh with ours.  Our first Christmas in Oklahoma opened a door to foster care through our church.  Signing up to get gifts for local orphans was the first step.  This initiated a conversation about foster care in our family.  A couple of months later someone from school mentioned a meeting in our community where foster families got together and talked about the reality of fostering, their experiences, and answered questions anyone might have.  Then, a few weeks later, our church held an informational meeting on foster care and volunteer opportunities.  We took the giant folder of paperwork home to look through.  We still felt like it was an opportunity for us to seek in the future, but looking now wouldn't hurt.  

The packet went in my tray at the back of the office.  Later that spring, we participated in "Walk a Mile" at a local children's home.  They don't tell you when you sign up, but they have kids from the shelter all along the walk holding signs about themselves.  They ranged in ages from teens down to just a few years old.  I looked at B and told him I wanted to take them all home.  My heart broke and I knew that these kids needed our help NOW.  From then on I saw little signs everwhere.  However, now that my eyes were opened.. didn't mean that B's were.  God dropped hints everywhere.  There were plugs in the messages at church, news stories and from others in the community.  We had so many questions and fears so we kept putting it off.  In the end it took a great person in our LifeGroup to say to us, "If you are lead to do this, then why wait?  Do it now."  We called to schedule our physicals that week and began completing the piles of paperwork.

Don't get me wrong, we still have a million questions and fears.  I know that my heart will break a hundred times over and I have no clue how I will handle it.  All I know is that God has this plan and I have faith in Him to get us through all of the rest.