by Mike Peercy, Executive Director of Fostering Grace

In conversations about the challenging work of foster care, there are some phrases that tend to come up quite often.

“I could never…”

“I’m just not…”

“I don’t think I could…”

“I just can’t see how I could…”

I get it. The truth is that not EVERYONE should be a foster parent. It’s a hard work and there are some things you really should have in order to do that crucial work.

But I think every fostering family needs a first-hand family to be right there in the trenches with them, watching out for them, holding them up, helping them along, able and willing to step in when they need a hand, lightening the load in the day to day grind of this heart-weary work. But not EVERYONE should be a first-hand family. It is hard work too.

There is also an ongoing need for child welfare workers—to be the eyes and ears of an overworked system and help make the weighty decisions that almost always make them the bad guy in someone’s eyes. This is such a crucial role and so often seems a thankless one, but it’s so terribly important. But not EVERYONE should be a social worker.

We know that every kid in foster care and the families that are caring for them need teachers and coaches and daycare workers and faith community volunteers that will do the hard work to learn how to care well for kids with trauma in their stories. They need to be surrounded—not just in the foster home but in all of their routine circles of life—with safe, caring adults. It’s so very important to their healing and healthy development. But not EVERYONE should be providing ongoing care for kids from hard places.

Some folks have the grace and patience and skill to be in those hands-on roles, but others have resources to help support these kids and those caring for them. Some have skills to offer and others have financial support to give. But not EVERYONE has the resources to help in such a way.

Of course, these needs go further out into the community—the doctor’s offices and restaurants and the sports leagues and the movie theaters—the need to be treated with dignity and compassion even when fear makes behavioral choices very difficult. They need folks to lay aside their judgmental views and speculations and pray for their souls. They need folks to trade their scowls for a gentle smile and an encouraging word.

None of us can do everything that is needed.

But… EVERYONE can do something.

So… what will YOU do?

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