How do you do it?
I could NEVER do that?
Where do you find the time?
Are these all yours?
You must have a huge house?
Being foster parents these are all questions we are asked on a daily basis. They used to bother me, but now I welcome them! I used to think people were being nosey or disrespectful. I sometimes felt like we were a walking circus for others amusement.
Heres the thing: I don't know if any of those above statements are true or not, but I do know this... When someone asks those questions, it gives me the opportunity to share what God is doing, what convictions He has made visible and how many hurting kids truly are hurting.
How do we do it? I don't know, haha! I seriously ask myself that question more times than I can count. It was not something I dreamed about as a child. I did not want to grow up and open my home to who knows who...or what. How do we do it? The only answer is with God! With His divine plan for our lives. My childhood was not that great on many levels, but God used that to open my heart and eyes to something far greater than I could have EVER planned.
I could NEVER do that?! Well, sometimes, I can't either! Sometimes I just need to sit - and do nothing - and hear nothing! Luckily, my loving husband encourages "me time" so I can do just that. God, then, replenishes my soul and gives me the strength to carry on.
Where do you find the time? Here's how I look at that question: Where do you find the time to shower or to brush your teeth? Where do you find the time to eat or feed your child? Where do you find the time to watch that favorite TV show or read that favorite book? We ALL have PLENTY of TIME!!! We have just decided to use it how WE want and not how GOD wants!
When we put our fleshly desires to the side, we see a whole bunch of time just popping up! Yes, I do still have favorite shows and spend LOTS of time with God on a daily basis, but orphans are a priority and God has gifted me that time because I put myself aside to follow His agenda!
Are these all yours? Yes, every single one of them! Twenty-one kids have crossed over our threshold that look to us as mommy and daddy. They are all mine until they walk over that threshold for the last time to be with their forever family! I will never specify or point out a foster child unless someone specifically asks if we are adopting or fostering. They are our children!
You must have a huge house?! Yes, we do! It is massive! If I had to take the amount of love, tenderness, compassion, leadership, selflessness, and gratefulness and bottle it up; we could fill a hundred homes!
We make time for our priorities! We make time for the things we really care about! Please don't use the "I don't have time" as an excuse! I pray Christ gives you a clear vision of His priority in your life. It all starts with our Lord, so let your focus be on Him and everything else will follow.
One of my favorite videos: http://vimeo.com/3564887
