A Place to Call Home

Permanent - adjective - existing perpetually, everlasting.

Permanence - noun - the state or quality of lasting or remaining unchanged indefinitely.

I had a "perm" done once when I was in my teens, and it was anything BUT permanent!  I mean, the extra curls were with me for a few months, but they definitely did not "exist perpetually" and were not "everlasting."  This week's foster parenting class session was titled "Teamwork Towards Permanence," and it discussed the many challenges encountered while attempting to establish permanence for children in the Child Welfare System.  We focused especially on the birth parent's perspective and how a compassionate and non-judgemental attitude towards them was a key component to the permanency process.  Throughout the various discussions and activities, I was definitely challenged by a lot of things as I came face-to-face with many preconceived notions I had about the birth parents of children in child protective services.  It was really eye-opening (actually, heart-opening would be a more accurate description!) and gave us much to think and pray about. 

We are hopeful that someday, the Lord will provide the opportunity for us to give a forever, permanent home to a child (or sibling group) from the Child Welfare System.  Permanent - existing perpetually, everlasting.  However, the home and family we will provide to any child/children through this foster-to-adoptive process will not be truly permanent.  The truth is, nothing on Earth will ever be "permanent," regardless of how hard people strive to make it so.  Philippians 3:20 tells us that "our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."  Not only is our home here not permanent, but what we have here on Earth is flawed, imperfect, and marred by sin and depravity.  I am so thankful for the Lord's kindness to give me tiny glimpses, "sneak peeks" at what my final destination will be like:  a kiss, a warm embrace, the giggles and laughter of my children, the rising and setting of the sun...such bliss!  I want to capture each moment and preserve it forever!  But as the tiny glimpses that they are, the kisses soon fade, the embrace may grow cold and distant, and the laughter often turns to tears.  May all of the glimpses we see make us long for the Heaven that awaits us in Christ!     

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
         

Defining Moments

Foster - verb - to nurture, encourage, or to help someone to grow.

Grace - noun - unmerited, divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification.  a virtue coming from God.

Anyone that knows me fairly well knows that I LOVE words.  Enter in the name for this blog - the words had to mean something.  The Lord gave me the blog name almost in the instant that He placed the desire to blog in my heart.  Fostering Grace.  He placed the desire to blog in my heart at almost the exact moment we decided to move forward with our plans to foster/adopt a child.  The desire to grow our family in this way has been almost 20 years in the making, slowly growing stronger with each passing year.

Part of the foster/adoptive licensing process is to receive an eight week training course.  Our first class was last night, and started out by asking each member to share what their three most significant moments in life were, and to share them in drawings/pictures - defining moments.  One by one, everyone in that room was able to share what their 'defining moments' were.  It was so cool to see most everyone had some rendition of a Cross or the Bible, which represented how God's grace - that unmerited, divine assistance given to them for their regeneration or sanctification - was one of their defining moments.  Everyone had a different story, a different 'picture' of that grace, but all of them pointed to the Master Painter.

My prayer is that the Lord would use this flawed and imperfect blog to nurture, encourage, and help us grow in the knowledge and understanding of His unmerited, divine assistance that He so freely gives to us in Christ for our regeneration and sanctification.

When in doubt, take that first step

Well, here's my first stab at this thing called "blogging."  Not quite sure where this is headed, but I find that God does some of His best work in my life when I don't quite have a handle on things.

For now, I leave you with an invitation to join me on this journey.  Stay tuned for more musings as the Lord leads.  I am up WAY past my bedtime, and bid you farewell.