God’s Kingdom Come for Children and Families

Matthew 6:10 says, “Your Kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” 

 

God’s Kingdom is here. It is in my home. That’s what I believe foster care is – it is God’s presence sitting on my couch, eating my groceries, playing on my swing set, and spilling drinks on my carpet.  

 

Foster care can easily be viewed as an inconvenience or interruption. It can be easy to focus on the pain, the trauma, the brokenness. But that’s not the full picture. If it was then the work of foster parenting would be impossible. 

 

Foster care is welcoming God’s Kingdom into my home. It is hard and holy work to love children who have experienced unthinkable trauma and to champion families that I may never have crossed paths with if not for foster care. But I don’t do this work on my own strength or love. It is God’s Love, and it is for God’s Kingdom. Jesus loves us without a promise of return. Some days, that is what fostering means. I don’t always get to see the return on my investment. 

 

As a foster parent, I have learned to redefine success. It can be easy to be results-oriented as I meet the physical needs of children in my care. However, if I were only working for outward progress, I would not continue this work. In those moments of overwhelm, God shows me the depths of welcoming a child into my home. 

 

The “return” is this: Jesus is in my home daily. As a foster parent, I get the privilege of welcoming the King I serve into the place I live. Nothing is more precious to a follower of Jesus than getting to experience His presence more! 

 

Is adding another car seat really bringing the presence of God?  

 

Are the messes in my living room truly welcoming Jesus into my life? 

 

How is another teen at my table actually furthering God’s Kingdom?    

 

Friends, it IS.  

 

In some of the toughest moments of foster care, I have felt peace from My Savior. I understand that it is a privilege to see daily the face of God reflected in these beloved children in my rearview mirror at school drop-off, running through my hallways, gathered at my kitchen table.  

 

If not for foster care, I would have missed this. 

 

Heidi Sampson,

Thornwell Foster Parent

To learn more visit Foster Care Awareness Month – Thornwell – Building Tomorrow’s Families