A Prayer for All of Them
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
Talking to a child in foster care has proven to be an eye opening, gut wrenching and faith building experience for me. For anonymity, I will call him Benny.
Benny is a sensitive 5th grader. He has been through enough stuff in his eleven years to last an entire lifetime. In our chats, I was told that he has had more than ten foster placements in the past two years. Currently, he is in a home with just a foster mother and doing very well.
Imagine the uprooting, distrust, anxiety, loneliness, and no sense of belonging anywhere; all due to the parent’s inability to properly parent.
When I asked him about school, he got very quiet. I remained silent, waiting for his response. Finally, he almost whispered, “I like to learn but I do not like the mean things they say about me because I am in foster care.”
“What do they say to you?” My teacher radar turned on.
“They say: ‘You’re a bad kid. Nobody loves you. Your parents couldn’t wait to give you away because you’re a dumb weirdo!’” There were lots more examples that tumbled out, and some were full of expletives. Peers can be heartless.
To pull him out of his emotional pain, we changed the subject. I asked him, “If you could have any pet in the world, what would you want?”
“A parrot that talks!”
“What would you teach it to say?”
“Don’t they just answer questions. What do you mean ‘I have to teach it to talk?’”
“Benny, it’s not like Alexa where you ask questions and get answers within seconds.”
“Ok, maybe not a parrot then. I would just be happy with a pet of my own. I want my own animal to care for and not someone else’s. When I get close, I move on and that makes me sad.” The lump in my throat was the size of a watermelon.
This is foster care for many. To sum it up in one word, I’d say CHANGE. Being in a public-school connection, I was unable to talk about Jesus, but I pray for peace and hope for him and others. Within days of meeting Benny, I was pulled off that assignment and given another. Sadly, it was just another change!
Father, thank You for insight into foster care. We ask that You wrap Your loving arms around all the Bennys. Let them meet those who will lead them to You. Protect their hearts, Lord! AMEN.