There are great rewards that come with being a foster parent, yet there are also challenges that make them feel depleted, alone and discouraged.
The many burdens of a foster parent's day- struggling children, difficult biological parents, and a broken system- are only compounded by the many burdens of a foster parent's heart -confusion, anxiety, heartache, anger, and fear.
"All the fears, every one of them that you can list, I had for sure, and I still struggle with fear," said Jamie C. Finn, executive director of Foster the Family and a foster parent.
"It's scary to jump into a broken system with broken families and see how it affects those you love."
In her new book Foster the Family: Encouragement, Hope, and Practical Help for the Christian Foster Parent, Jamie helps foster parents see their struggles through the lens of the gospel, bringing biblical truths to bear on their unique everyday realities.
“I’ve never found the words foster care in the Bible, but I have found rich truths about God and humans, family and children, sacrifice and trust, forgiveness and love,” said Finn. “Foster care is throughout the Bible."
Once Jamie made this discovery, she decided to dig deeper. She was amazed by what she found.
"We hear God say over and over, fear not. The first time I was wrestling with these fears, I was like, just saying fear is not helpful," Finn explains.
"I started digging into these commands more and saw that every time God, or someone on his behalf, uses the words, fear not, attached to those words are bold claims about God's character or a beautiful promise from him. There are a lot of reasons to be afraid, but he tells us to fear not because he has beautiful promises that can carry us through the scary things."
Today on Connections, Jamie talks about her journey as a foster parent. She'll also share some things that have helped her along the way.