There is still good.

It’s a broken system in a broken world.

We’ve seen and heard that firsthand in the last 2 years. I’ve been so blessed to connect with so many other foster families and have heard their stories of pain and heartbreak. Babies going back to drug-infested homes. Kids walking back into abusive situations. Teens struggling to find some semblance of normal growing up in the system. It stinks. And it is sad. And, I agree, we do live in a broken, sinful world, shuffling kids through a broken system.

But.

I’ve also been blessed to see that there is still good in the world, there are still angels on this earth, and God can still make beauty from ashes.

West came to us when he was two months old. He had suffered heartbreaking injuries, including a fractured skull and over 20 broken ribs. I don’t like that part of his story, and I talk about it only to give glory to the Lord, because His healing hands have been so evident on West. He is literally a walking, talking miracle.

We experienced months of specialists and therapies, along with months of complete uncertainty. There was NEVER a guarantee that he would get to join our family forever. To be honest, I felt like we sat on literal pins and needles for 15 months. I had nightmares, panic attacks, and my stress and anxiety level reached embarrassing heights. I shared our story with ANYONE and EVERYONE that would listen, in hopes that someone would help us or somehow magically make everything turn out fine. My social worker was on speed dial, and I spent more time in the court room and the social services building than I’d like to admit. For 15 months, I felt like our lives revolved around the next court hearing, or the next medical appointment. It was A LOT. And it was hard.

But, looking back, I can say it was our privilege to get to be a part of this story. The people that I’ve been fortunate to meet in this ‘broken system’ are some of the most kind, compassionate people who have incredibly tough jobs to do. I couldn’t do it. You couldn’t pay me all of the money in the world to do the work that they do. They are angels. The doctors, specialists, and therapists that we’ve been fortunate to work with? They are a m a z i n g. And they have cared SO deeply for our son, and we are so grateful for that. We’ve seen the Lord provide for West in unbelievable ways.

And because of His sweet mercy, grace, and healing, we were able to ‘officially’ give this boy our last name and his forever home last month. I can’t tell you how that feels. One day, I’ll write about it 😉 But I can say this – from day ONE he felt like ours. Through all of the mess and the stress and the uncertainty, somehow he ALWAYS felt like a part of us – he was truly meant to be in our family.

I know it doesn’t always turn out like this. I know that for every positive outcome with foster care, there are 3 negative ones. I know that the system is still ‘broken’ and the fact that we even need a ‘system’ shows me how broken the world is.

And I know we’ve still got a long road ahead of us. We are still praying for continued healing for our son, and are still navigating the post-adoption process.

But I can also tell you, because I’ve seen it firsthand, there is still good.

Have a blessed Thursday!