After learning about another child abuse case, from a family whom I used to know, I felt exhausted. I felt tired of the weight of such sadness… But my heart caught up with my mind, and I thought, “We either pretend these horrible stories don’t exist or we do something about it. Because, if we don’t help, who will?“
I read about it, I heard of it, foster care is hard! Adoption is not for the faint of heart… But what choice do we have? Because, if we don’t help, who will?
The foster mom told me to run from foster care, that her son hated her and she didn’t want to see me go through the pain she was going through…. But how could I shut down the calling in my heart? Because, if we don’t help, who will?
I imagined my own two daughters, should they become alone in this world — would I not want the most loving parents to take them in? Would I not want only the most dedicated, kind and nurturing home for them? So I want to be for these hurting kids, the person I would want for my own daughters… Because, if we don’t help, who will?
There is a world of brokenness out there. The stories won’t stop now. The number of children entering the system is increasing. We need more people, more nurturing, caring, loving, dedicated people. We need help to alleviate this pain.
A child is waiting. A family is about to split. Someone needs to stand there and help.
Corrie Ten Boom once wrote of a missionary who had a revealing dream. It came when the missionary was becoming tired of working in the field. Corrie read about it when she, herself, was growing weary. The missionary dreamed of a lovely scene, on the top of a cliff. Families dressed in white clothes, moms making daisy tiaras for their daughters, a lovely moment… Meanwhile, right past them, a throng of others walked by, and one by one, they fell off the cliff. Their voices were heard by one of the white dressed little girls. She asked her mom what that awful noise was… But, the mom gently turned her child away from such suffering. Both continued in their graceful activity… And the others, those lost ones, they too continued to fall…
After her dream, missionary decided that she couldn’t stop with her missions. Corrie, as a result, didn’t stop either.
Missionary Hulda Buntain came to our church once. She told us of when her husband died. She had felt out of sorts — ready to retire… But the voice spoke loud inside of her, “Love Demands Our Help!”
All these missionaries are teaching us something. They all speak the same: The world needs our help!
So my hope is that the same voice would speak to more of us. Love demands! What are we going to do about the hurting kids? Because, if we don’t help, who will?
Join our Facebook page to connect with other adoptive parents!
Gloria R. is a mother of two birth children, and fostering to adopt an older child. She is a licensed therapeutic foster parent with her husband. She continues to engage in research on traumatized children, foster care and adoption and hope to be a voice for kids, who often fall in between the cracks of society. She also loves writing and welcoming new readers to her blog, www.onemorewithus.com.
