Getting Started

I have been looking at foster blogs for a few weeks. Most of these people are serious pros- 12 plus kids, seen it and heard it all. So far I haven't read about other people who are just getting started in the foster care universe. Nobody I know fosters. I have read enough to know what I am going to hear from family and others when the news breaks. I figure if I start writing my thoughts, maybe I would find a community who understands.

I titled my blog Bold Love. I stole that from Dan Allender. Great writer. Over the years, I have been led to similar books: Sacred Marraige, Sacred Parenting, the Cost of Discipleship, Grace Based Parenting, etc. There is a theme here: bold love. Jesus loves boldly. I am so drawn to this love. It doesn't matter what anyone says or does, the Lord still loves them. Bill Maher hates God and people who believe in God. Jesus should just scratch him off the list, but He won't. He loves boldly. Ted Haggard decieved the church for years and made the body of Christ, once again, look like a bunch of lying hypocrites. God should give up on Ted and move on, but He won't. He loves bodly.

I don't love boldly. I love immaturely. I love God because He first loved me. And so I expect everyone else in the world to love me that way. Right! That is never going to happen. I love with an imperfect love. I don't think I have scratched the surface of understanding how He loves. So that brings me to today. I think He is going to show me how He loves. In theory, it is easy to say Jesus loves the sinner and has called us to love as He loves. In reality, instead of living through the Spirit to love as He loves, I live in the flesh and love as I love- selfishly and immaturely. I think God is calling me to a different love. He is calling me to love boldly and He is going to use children who are unloveable, who do not return love for love, children who have behaved so badly, most people think they can't be loved. He is going to give me an tiny, tiny inkling of what He endures overwhelmingly- rejected love.

So here I go- off to love others as He loves us. No small task, but looking forward to the opportunity He has placed before me to answer the call.