For the most part, Christians are good people. They are people that try their best to be good people and live like Christ. One of Jesus's main teaching points on Earth was to serve others. That is why I think that every Christian should foster a child.
There is a statistic that says if three people from every church in my home state of Arkansas would foster a child there would be no more children in other facilities such as group homes.
Imagine this scenario: there's a young seven-year-old girl that sleeps on the floor because she has no bed. She can't sleep most nights because she never knows what her mother is doing or when her drunk dad is coming in. She wears dirty clothes because she doesn't even have detergent to do her own laundry. She brushes her hair every morning, but it never looks clean like the other girls' when she goes to school. She feels inadequate and doesn't know what its like to be loved.
Now, imagine this: what if you could share your warm and inviting home with that girl and show her the love of God through your life? Would you? As Christians, we say we want to be the light in a dark world, but so many children are surrounded with darkness and that's all they can see because they know no differently.
Not all foster homes are ideal. There are homes that take advantage of the benefits the state gives to the foster parents. These people are selfish and cold. Not all good foster parents are Christians, but true followers of Christ could add to the pool of quality foster homes.
I have a heart for these children because I know what kind of difference one good foster home can make for a child. Christians should show these children what a functional home should look like. Jesus calls us Christians to be servants like he served on Earth, "The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12. God also commands Christians to generously show love to others."Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace..." 1 Peter 4:10-11.
Some Christians struggle with ways they can shine a light in their community. Fostering a child is a great way to do that. Children are the most susceptible to being shown love. It can make a difference on their whole life. For example, the situation that you imagined earlier, now imagine that the end result was that you made a difference on that girl's life so much so that she gave her life to Christ and grew up to make a difference in her community. She also grew up to thank you for being the loving home she never got from her own family.
