05/25/2026
Praise God that He equips us for what He calls us to!
Foster care has two sides.
There’s the side people notice: the cute pictures, the milestones, the “you’re such a blessing” comments at church or the grocery store.
And then there’s the side no one sees.
They don’t see the 2 a.m. ER trips when a child spikes a fever and you’re clutching a Medicaid card you’re not sure will even scan.
They don’t see the hours spent driving to supervised visits, waiting in parking lots, and watching your other kids’ schedules bend and stretch around it.
They don’t see the endless phone calls, voicemails, and emails chasing down caseworkers, doctors, therapists, and lawyers.
They don’t see the paperwork piles, the court hearings, the gut-punch of sitting in a room where everyone gets a say about a child’s future except the child… and often the people raising them every single day.
They don’t see you juggling “normal” family life in the middle of all that…helping with math homework, packing lunches, trying to hold onto traditions so your biological kids don’t feel lost in the shuffle.
What people don’t see is the toll it takes.
The emotional whiplash of attaching to a child while knowing they may leave.
The way your entire family rearranges itself around trauma, appointments, court dates, and uncertainty.
The grief foster parents carry silently while still showing up every day like their hearts aren’t breaking in real time.
The exhaustion of loving children wholeheartedly inside of a system that often feels cold, chaotic, and deeply broken.
People see the photos.
They don’t see the cost.
But here’s the other thing they don’t see:
The way a child’s laugh makes every sleepless night worth it. The joy of watching healing happen in real time. The first time a child finally feels safe enough to fully rest. The way love expands your heart beyond what you thought it could hold.
Foster care isn’t just what people notice, it’s what they don’t see.
And it’s in those unseen places, the hard, hidden, exhausting places… where the real, holy work is happening.
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
