Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] from evil.
– Proverbs 3:5-7 (AMP)
Trusting God in Finding a Child in Foster Care
Early in our initial foster care and adoption journey, the Lord quickened a phrase in my heart that rooted us in the weight of our decision. The phrase was simple, “You’re not used car shopping.” Amid our excitement and desire to rush the process, we still trusted the Lord.
God was faithful in giving us a small tool that would prove to be incredibly valuable in our journey. It was a reminder that as we moved forward in the process, we needed to treat the lives of the children we might encounter with the same value as God does—which is infinite. We weren’t simply on a quest to see if we could find a child that “fit” in our family and then make our decision. We were dealing with the life of one of God’s most broken children, and He wanted to remind us to trust Him and honor Him in the process.
Finding Our Child in Foster Care
We faithfully took all the required classes and prepared our home for the blessing of another family member. As we were preparing, we looked at photo after photo of “available” children in our state’s foster system. Going through the stories and pictures was sometimes heart-wrenching. We wanted to help them all.
Yet, with God’s leading, we decided to carefully ask the case managers all of our questions about potential children long before we chose to meet a child in person. For us, the only child we would meet in person would be one that we were bringing home for good. Anything less felt exploitative and devaluing of the child. God “made our paths straight and smooth” in this small bit of wisdom. We knew how to handle the process in obedience to Him. As we trusted God in this way, we truly began our journey of becoming the type of family that would be a good fit for a child who was broken and hurting.
A Shift in Perspective
It’s really easy to be moved by the emotion of helping a child whose family is broken. It’s equally as easy to be moved by a “call of the Lord to foster care or adoption.” Both of these reasons for entering this process are valid. However, the journey that begins with pure motives and a soft heart can become excruciatingly difficult. It can cause heartache and brokenness if we aren’t careful to prepare through prayer and trusting of the Lord’s leading.
By trusting God and His leading in our process, we allowed Him to shift our perspective from finding a child that fit into our family to becoming a family that was fit for the child. This one slight shift in perspective helped us to not rely on our own insight or understanding but to acknowledge Him and recognize His hand and guidance in our lives—and in the life of our future child.
You’re Not Used Car Shopping
“You’re not used car shopping” proved to be one of the most valuable gifts that God gave us in our journey. It reminded us that we were committed to the child in all the same ways that we were committed to the child that He had given us by birth. Just like we couldn’t return our biological child to anyone when times got rough, we couldn’t send the child we adopted back to foster care. This understanding was burned into our hearts from the very beginning by trusting that God is ultimately the one who led us here.
Prayers To Deepen Your Trust While Looking For a Child in Foster Care
As you step forward today and consider Proverbs 3:5-7 (AMP), here are a few prayer starters to help you seek God in a deeper way:
- Father, I commit today to trust in and rely confidently on you in this decision and throughout my journey. I know how easy it is for me to think that my understanding and ideas are the best. I invite you to show me your way and not my own way. I trust that you will make my paths straight as I walk with you.
- Father, I ask today that you help me discern how you would have me approach my preparation for this journey. Please help me find the right voices, materials, training, and understanding to become a family fit for a broken child.
- Father, lead me on the right path to the child you would have me care for.
As you step forward in your decision-making process to care for a child, it’s essential to truly “trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.”
©2024 Pam Parish. Used with Permission.
