The hands and feet...

So, not many people know this, but Emory and I are about to begin the process to become home study approved.  We are re-opening our home to foster children.  I know, you probably aren't shocked, are you?  You already think we are crazy, right?

Well, we are crazy about following Jesus, and at this point in our lives, we feel that to not have our home open to children in need is in direct disobedience to the Lord.  That is not a fun place to be, so we are acting in obedience.

We are very excited to see where this journey will lead us.  Initially, we are only opening up our home to serve other foster families, we want to be a home for respite care, babysitting or whatever we are needed for.  We believe that the Lord will eventually add another "Lott" to the crew, but we are on no time tables, and are planning to foster until He says otherwise.

Emory and I had a meeting tonight with our foster care agency, and we left encouraged and ready to start down this road again.  We are excited about what God has planned, but we are also preparing our hearts for the heart ache that comes with it.  Not just the heart ache of giving children back, but the heart ache of hearing the stories from which these children came from, heart ache for children that are sick and away from their mommies and daddies, heart ache for not being able to fix it all.   I am begging the Lord tonight to break my heart for what breaks His.  Lord, use Emory and I and our children to glorify YOU!!  I don't want to be another person that can't put my money where my mouth is...if I am going to say it, I want my words to be actions.  Lord, turn these words into actions.  The church is suppose to be the hands and feet of Christ...if that's true why are the foster care numbers so high, if that is true why are there 163 million + orphans in the world?  Where are the christians?

My heart is heavy tonight for the church.  I am praying that more families would step forward and consider foster care and adoption, both here and internationally.  I am praying that more families would let go of the selfishness behind adoption, and adopt because we are called to, not because it is the only option of building their families, adopt because you want to be the hands and feet of Christ, not because you are trying to find the "perfect" child for YOUR situation.

Tonight at this meeting, I was told about a situation that broke my heart.  A situation that has me angry that no one has stepped up to parent this particular child.  It makes me angry that the church is suppose to be stepping up, but we are so busy fitting into our schedules we can't see that this is a CHILD.  Foster care is not easy, older child adoptions are not easy...we have done both.  I do not want to paint some rosy picture of how great it all is...it isn't.  Isn't that life, though?  It's messy sometimes, it hurts a lot of the time, but it's worth it.  Oh, every single second it worth it.  Every child deserves a home, deserves a mommy and a daddy, deserves to be tucked in and told about Jesus Christ...not just the child that fits perfectly into my laid out calendar and family situation.

We are excited!  We can't wait to walk this road again.  We know the blessings FAR outweigh everything else, and we can't wait to see what God will do in and through our family.  Our kids are thrilled, and seeing the joy and love they have for foster children makes my heart smile.  I am blessed to have children that get it, children that have a love for other children, for orphans and for children that might just need a family for a season...so thankful for their hearts.

Lord, open the eyes of christians.  Break our hearts for what breaks yours, Lord.  Open our eyes and make us truly see what you see.   Thank you, Lord, for 6 beautiful children that get it.  For 6 children that have taught Emory and I so much about what it means to be parents and to truly love others.  Thank you for their precious hearts, Lord.  I pray that you would prepare their hearts for the children you will bring in and out of our home, God.  I pray that you would begin preparing the hearts of the children you will bring into our home, prepare them to hear about YOU and for the crazy amount of love we want to show them.  Lord, prepare our hearts as we walk this road again.  We love you, Lord.  Amen!!