As a general rule, I try not to wish for or celebrate the failure or misfortune of someone else. As a foster parent you find yourself in an odd situation.
You fall in love with the little ones in your care. You hear about the conditions and circumstances which brought them into the system, and sometimes you even see the results and repercussions of those conditions and circumstances. You want what's best for them, and from where you stand, its to stay with you.
But there is another side to this story. There is a struggling parent with stories, hurts and traumas of their own. Many of them were foster children themselves or should have been. Shouldn't we hope for them too? Shouldn't we hope that they find something inside of them that compels them to rise above their situation and break the viscous cycle? Shouldn't we pray that they find salvation in Christ? Their lives are just as precious to Jesus. Do we just write them off indefinitely? That just isn't Biblical.
I'm not saying we should send these little ones back into harms way. I'm not saying that we as foster parents shouldn't love them enough to want to keep them. I'm not saying these parents should, depending on the circumstances, get their children back.
What I am saying is that we need to be compassionate and gracious. I live a blessed life. God has been so good to me. How could I possibly judge these people who grew up in much different circumstances, and in a much different environment, with either no or very inappropriate role models? They need my prayers. They need my Jesus.
This is something that both Jeremy and I struggle with. We of course want to keep Munchkin, and we do think that would be what's best for him, but we have to keep the right attitude. The parents in these situations need saving too. I'm probably not the one God is going to use to reach them, but I can pray for the person he is going to use. I may very well be praying for you.
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