"She's beautiful". The new parents couldn't stop thinking this as they embraced their new daughter. This girl lived in foster care since she was three and now that she is 10 she is finally getting to be a part of a family that will love and cherish her.
Unfortunately, many kids don't get a happy ending like this. There are so many children with out a loving home or stuck in a foster home where they are abused and made to believe they are worthless. We are called to love this children and do something to help them in James 1:27. Adoption or even fostering is one of the most impactful things you could do. It not only impacts the child you're adopting but it affects you too.
You learn from each other and it shows a whole new piece of God's love.
Personally, I struggled to understand what it meant to be adopted into God's family. In Ephesians 1:5 Paul writes that we are predestined to be adopted by God. This means that God doesn't just take us and wash us clean from all of our sins he makes us a part of his family; Ephesians 1 mentions that we even have an inheritance.
I am not adopted nor have I been a part of the foster system but reading books and meeting people who have been through these things has helped me understand more about God's love. The joy parents have when they welcome their child into their home is the same joy God has when we turn to him.
I hope to adopt one day and even become a foster parent God willing. I know a lot of people who have the same desire but there is a huge road block to adopting or even fostering: all of the hoops and the expense. There are countless piles of paperwork to fill out and the cost alone is like buying a new car or even going to college.
Don't let the cost discourage you though because God always provides where His will is and there's a foundation that gives adoption grants to families. Go to https://showhope.org/ to learn more about the application process.
Maybe you don't want to make the commitment of raising a child just yet. There are still plenty of ways to get involved with foster kids or adoption. There are organizations that take students to orphanages and allow them to serve there for a certain period of time. There are programs where you can become certified to take care of a foster kid while their foster parents go and run errands.
There's also the simple every day things we do. Just being there for them and listening to them. Giving kids the gospel is a huge way you can help. Get involved with your church's children's ministry and share Jesus' love with the kids.
We should refuse to sit idly by while kids still need families or a safe home. We are called not to be served but to serve. We are called to be doers of the word not just hearers.