Foster Care Kids Are Worth Fighting for

Sometimes foster care looks like bringing a child from a hard place into your home.

Sometimes it looks like sitting at a ball field with a former foster love’s mom and being her village.

He’s the one who has brought me to my knees more times than my own children.

He’s the one I lie awake at night thinking about.

He’s the one I beg the father to protect.

He’s the one who makes me want to get in the trenches over and over again.

It’s our Bubba.

So much of the story is not mine to tell, but the parts that are bring me equal amounts of joy and sadness.

This past Thursday, I got to put my arms around that little boy I have loved since he was 2 years old.

I got to see his radiant smile.

I got to watch him get the game ball for being such an awesome teammate.

I also saw a glimpse of that fragile, sad, and full of big emotions boy.

I saw tears run down his sweet face as he felt defeat

I saw that little lip quiver just as it had many, many times before.

I saw his heart get heavy.

And I wanted to swoop in and scoop him up.

I wanted to grab his sweet little hand and tell him that he was brave, he was strong, and he was going to change the world one day.

He’s the one I fight the enemy for.

That’s why I drove 45 minutes to sit at a ball field and watch a baseball game with his mom.

That’s why when asked to show up at a family team conference to be there for support, I said “YES!” without hesitation.

That’s why I’ll never stop showing up.

The enemy is tricky. He uses the things that make us feel the weakest and the things that pull at our hearts until we feel we can’t breathe. He uses those things to defeat us. To manipulate us. To cause us to want to give up.

But he won’t win.

I’ll keep showing up.

I’ll keep begging the father to protect him, to send people to help show him his worth, to make him feel safe, and ultimately to show him that he is loved more than he knows. Not just by me, but by a God who created him on purpose for a purpose.

I won’t stop.

I won’t let him be just another statistic.

I’ll keep believing in him.

I’ll keep fighting the enemy. Every. Single. Day.

This is foster care.

This is being the hands and feet.

This is taking back the land.

This is exactly what I said I would be three years ago. Present. A resource. Part of her village.

The enemy may think he has won…and maybe he wins some battles, but he won’t win the war.

That sweet boy is the reason I say yes over and over again.

Why? Because there are many more Bubbas out there who need someone to fight for them. To stand in the trenches with them and their families. To believe we can break the cycle.

They need someone to show up.

To care.

To get too attached.

To be the village for their families.

Not all stories end that way. Not all families can be changed, but we will fight until we are shown otherwise.

Foster care is hard.

Being in the trenches is hard.

But looking into the eyes of a child you have loved, fought for, prayed for, and believed in for so long, knowing that you are making a difference, makes the hard and the scary and the broken worth the fight.

Who are you fighting for?

Originally published on the author’s Facebook page