Least of These

"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:34-40

Who doesn't love a baby? Most people do. Sweet chubby cheeks, tender smiles and giggles, that wonderful smell of baby powder after a diaper change. What's not to love? 

But what is the value of a baby in the economy? They can't work. They can't earn a living. Depending on the age, they can do very little to nothing for themselves. They consume, they cry, they demand attention. They could be considered the "least" as far as economical value and worth is concerned. The value is in the eye of the beholder; wrapped with strong ties of emotion and that warm fuzzy feeling you get inside when an innocent baby smiles at you. They may be the least to some - but to someone else, they are the greatest. 

Children in foster care could be considered the least. Most (like 99% as an my non-educated guess) come with serious baggage. They have out-of-control tantrums. They're sick and have a constant runny nose. They scream for no reason at the top of their lungs. They're inconsolable to your touch, because they've never been soothed before. They bang their heads on the floor or self-harm.  You can almost always guarantee they have a history clouded by abuse and neglect in one form or another. They are the least; the smallest thought on our enormous list of things to deal with and consider. But the least should be greatest. 

I was watching an old rerun of the show Reba today, mostly because Ray just happened to stop on that channel. The episode was filmed after hurricane Katrina. Reba had a large black family living under her roof as refugees from the devastation. She was stressed. She wanted to give up. Then the refugee mom pointed to Matthew 25:35 in her Bible and read it aloud. I cried. So much is sacrificed when you open your home to foster children; but it astonishes me to think that those sweet faces I cried over, the runny noses I wiped countless times, the weekly trips to the doctor, the messes, putting up with the screams, the ridiculous tantrums, my fruitless attempts at preventing the self-harming - they were all for Jesus. Good gracious - how quick I would be to wipe the nose of Jesus if He were sick! I would clean up His messes with JOY because He cleaned up the mess I made of my life. To think that everything I dealt with and went through with those five children last year was for Him - it was undeniably worth it. The least of these. Sweet children who didn't have a choice. Children who were forced to cope in whatever way possible, even if that meant eating trash off the floor for some means of sustenance. 

This is real folks. I've been called - you've been called. We're supposed to care for the least of these. Maybe you can't be a foster parent; but can you pray for those that are? Can you provide a meal for a foster mom that just got a new placement? Can you buy diapers? Can you help the single foster mom catch up on housework? You might not be called to be a foster parent - but you've been called to serve the least of these. Not for the foster parents; not for the child; but for Gods Kingdom. For Gods Glory. After all - He did it for us when we were there. We owe Him the same. 

To Cherish, Upon Regret

As I finish up a bedtime story with my Micah-B, he asks, "can we snuggle?" Even though it's late, I can't say no! These four years have flown by so quickly, and no matter how much I wish for those days when I could hold him in one arm, those days will never come back. Not with my Micah-B. With him being our first, I was determined to do everything perfect, enforcing sleeping in his own crib at three weeks (because I wasn't getting ANY sleep with him next to me), putting him on a feeding schedule (largely unsuccessful due to his horrid reflux), etc. etc. Maybe time just changes things - maybe there are things that only experienced mommas know - but if I could turn back the clock, I would have spent more time holding his tiny fragile body; more time caressing his tender, soft skin (which thankfully he still has!); more time breathing in that sweet baby scent; and more time just being close to him. So many regrets! But he's not my only baby I have regrets with. I have regrets with Baby A too. I have regrets with Baby J. I regret not making myself emotionally available to them. I regret seeing "order" and "scheduling" and a clean house more important than their needs. 

Moving forward, I don't want to be afraid to fall in love. I don't want to be afraid that the floor will just NOT get vacuumed this week. I don't want to be afraid that I'll get attached to my fosters. I realized upon finding out that Baby A is getting adopted that I missed out because I sheltered my heart from losing her. The old adage, "it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all," is true. Because my heart aches for "what could have been" in her short stay with us if I wasn't so harsh. If I wasn't so guarded. If I wasn't so uptight. So many regrets, and it just hurts. 

Several years ago a singer (and momma of 10 children!) came to our church. I was pregnant at the time and asked for her advice.  She told me, "cherish them while they're young." It's something you can't understand until you see them grow, then hope to do better with the next one. Children grow so quickly. There is never enough time. 

If you're being called to foster, don't be afraid to love. God wasn't afraid to love you, even though He already knew you'd break His heart someday. It's selfish to stay out of a ministry that DESPERATELY needs workers because you're afraid you'll get hurt. It's also selfish to hold back love that a child deserves because of the same reason. I've been selfish. Foolishly selfish. But I'm determined to be different the next time around. God, please help me to be different! Help me to love those children the way you love me!

Because life is too short, and each day is a gift. A precious experience that can never be re-lived. 

Cherish:  to care for tenderly; nurture: to cherish a child