Watching the investigator from Child Protective Services walk up my front sidewalk was an incredibly surreal experience. For those next few moments, life seemed to pass in slow motion.
Her arm was looped through the handle of a hot pink infant carrier, and I strained to catch a glimpse of the baby through my dining room window. My heart raced. I tried to still myself, but I knew my life - all of our lives - were about to change.
The investigator carried the baby girl across the threshold and gently placed the carrier down on my dining room floor. I peeked inside and saw the most perfect angel of a baby nestled and cozy as she slept. In that moment, I was struck with the reality that this baby had absolutely nothing to her name, other than the clothes on her back and some essentials from Community Partners of Dallas. She had no idea she was not allowed to leave the hospital with her biological parents. She didn’t know her safety would have most likely been at risk. She was unaware of the abuse and neglect that might have been waiting for her at home if CPS hadn’t interceded.
Like all children, all she wanted was to be safe, warm, and loved - simple as that. This innocent girl deserved to be the center of someone’s universe, the love of someone’s life, and the reason someone wakes up in the morning.
Little did she know, Jesus had already intervened for her, changing the course of her life forever. And not only her own life, but that day, her legacy, the lives of her great-great-grandchildren shifted onto an alternate track. Jesus did that.
During those first few weeks, my husband and I clung to our faith, living one day at a time. We didn’t know how long God would grace us with this precious girl’s presence. We had a lot of fear of the unknown. There was some intense anxiety deep in our souls. But we knew, without a doubt, we were providing this child with a safe home where she felt loved by us and by God. Each week that passed was another week of building her strength, giving her a foundation to build on for if, or when, she would leave us.
Last year, 2,500 children, just like our precious girl, were removed from abusive and neglectful situations in their homes and placed into foster care in Dallas County. These children were of all ages and races and from a variety of circumstances and backgrounds. Many of these kids and youth went to live with family members, but that isn’t always possible. And that’s why these kids and youth need you and me.
There are a million reasons why you shouldn’t foster and/or adopt a child. I’m completely confident you can (and have) come up with those reasons on your own, but let’s focus on the qualifications that make you eligible to take the next step, if you feel a nudge from God:
- You have love to give.
- You are financially stable.
- You are a mature, responsible adult (over 21).
That’s it! You don’t have to be perfect. Your home doesn’t have to be perfect. These kids and youth need you to be a stable force of love and protection in their lives. You can be the advocate you were meant to be. You have the power to be the beacon of hope, inspiration, and life-giving faith they need. And whether they are with you for a week or for the rest of their lives, you will have left a positive fingerprint on their life that just might change the trajectory of not only their lives, but of the lives of their children’s children and beyond. This is a game-changer of epic proportions.
We never regretted our choice to foster, and we never once questioned our reasoning for stepping out in faith when we didn’t know what outcome awaited us.