I didn't have time to expand on this passion thing and although I don't have much time now either, I will unpack (don't you just love that word?) a little more.
We have heard much about stewardship. We are supposed to be good stewards of the things we have...our money, our time, and our talents. But, have you ever thought about being a good steward with your knowledge? I haven't, until now and I believe I will be held accountable for the things that I 'know' and do nothing about. Whether it be biblical commands or social realities, I am entrusted with my knowledge.
During my weekend conference, one of the 'high-class' business ladies was speaking about many different areas of leadership. At one particular point she referred to giving back to her community and volunteering with the Children's Aid Foundation. As a side note, she mentioned that there are 300,000 children living in severely abusive situations in Canada alone (and that is known cases) and not near enough foster homes to take them and protect them. And then she went on and on with other things (good things I might add).
But she lost me after sharing that stat. I couldn't move on with her. She struck a chord that I can't explain other than to say my throat closed, my heart thumped harder and I broke down. Classy, I know. I couldn't help it.
So the day went on, more sessions, coffee breaks and fancy meals in a high class hotel. I just kept thinking to myself, "how can I know this and go on as usual?" And I am still asking the same question. "How can I carry on with life as usual knowing that hundreds of thousands of children are being severely abused in Canada?" It really shouldn't be a surprise. In fact, I am sure I could've guessed that, but at that very moment it was like it was being spoken into me for the very first time.
There is a campaign called "One Church, Two homes" and the idea is that they are trying to get every single church across Canada to find two foster homes within their congregation to help these children.
It's a great idea, I think.
Anyway, I don't know what to do or where to go from here. I would adopt them all if I could.
I'm not sure what my future will look like but I believe this is the start of something....
Monday, March 06, 2006
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3 comments:
Hearing such stats is a horrible thing. I hope that the churches are successful in finding home for the kids.
Friends of ours had 2 foster siblings in their house for a few months while their mother was in rehab and their dad was in prison. During their stay, our friends had troubles keeping their marriage together and decided that after the kids were back with their mother, they would separate. Well, as of this past weekend, they are separated and the kids are back with their drug-addicted mother who just finished rehab. I still worry about the kids and about their future, but I worry about our friends as well. Divorce is so prevalent in our society and it would be sad to see them go through it too. Please pray for all of them. Thanks!
The sad reality of "foster parenthood" is that biological parents always have rights, at least here in New Brunswick. I can't tell you how many children I've seen put into a foster home where they receive love and attention that is so foreign to them, only to be pulled out and sent back to a "recovered" parent. In MOST cases the "recovery" is short-lived and the children are soon in an abusive situation again. This makes it very difficult, not only on the children, but on the foster parents, who don't seem to have any rights at all. I think the whole system needs re-examining.-Louisa Burton
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