What were your biggest concerns as you considered saying yes to foster care?
Jason: Probably setting aside my own comfort and having the stamina for little ones. Our youngest was 12 when we started our journey and our family routine left plenty of time to breathe and be still. Also, I’m in my mid-40’s and I don’t have the same energy I had in my younger years.
Why did you ultimately say yes?
Jason: Comfort is not a fruit of the spirit, and God equips us where we’re weak. Ultimately, we were led to abandon ourselves to the needs of others. We really had no idea what to expect, but we submitted to God’s calling and his exhortation in James 1:27 to put the idea of pure and faultless religion into practice by looking after orphans. The call interestingly also leads to the deliverance of what comes next in avoiding being polluted by the world. When do you have time for that with little ones!
How has God worked in your life during your foster care journey?
Jason: He dispelled the idea that I have it together, early and often. The struggle was real as the pain of my deeply-rooted selfishness rose to the surface in sleepless nights and loss of personal time. But that refinement came with blessing, in my own attitude and my actions toward others. Another area of work He is doing in me is the concept that even my biological children are not really mine. Whereas they share my biology, they are all His workmanship and I am but the steward.
What would you say to other men who God may be calling to foster?
Jason: There are a lot of good and acceptable things in life that prevent us from doing the hard work of His kingdom. Scripture has far more wisdom than I could offer here:
- Let each of you not look only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others – Phil 2:4
- Greater love has no one that his, that someone lay down his life for his friends – John 15:13
- Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God – Heb 13:16