As we have considered the plight of the orphan in recent years, we’ve focused on several theological realities. First, God is a helper of the fatherless (Psa 10:14). This moves Him not only to defend them, but also to judge those who do not care for them and bless those who do (Exo 22:22-24; Deut 14:29). Second, the gospel teaches that we ourselves who have trusted in Christ are all spiritual adoptees, former orphans in need of the Father to rescue us. Jesus did not leave us as orphans, but saved us and brought us into His family (John 14:18; Rom 8:15). Our love for the gospel should move us to live it out by caring for the fatherless. Third, the Bible teaches that devotion to the Father entails entering into the suffering of the orphan just as He entered into our suffering through Christ (Jas 1:27).
Adoption and funding adoption is not the only way to embrace these truths and care for the fatherless. There is a rapidly growing need for foster parents in Ohio. In July 2013, there were 12,654 children in the Ohio foster care system. By July of 2017, the number had grown to 15,510.
(It’s quite easy to depersonalize such numbers. Stop for a moment to consider that’s 15,510 names. Last Summer there were fifteen and a half thousand people - the most vulnerable people in society - enduring what could be considered among the most traumatic things a child could experience - removal from their parents’ care.)
Due to the opioid epidemic, the number is expected to continue to rise. A December 2017 study by the Public Children Services Association of Ohio projected that by 2020, the number of children in foster care would reach 20,154. That’s a 60% increase over 2013.
And while the opioid crisis is credited with much of the growth, drug abuse by parents accounts for only 32% of foster care cases nationwide. By far, the number one reason children are removed from homes is neglect (61%).1 Upon entering the system, the average child will spend 20.4 months in foster care before being reunited, adopted, or placed by some other means.
As long as there are enough foster parents to care for these children, perhaps there is little reason for alarm. But here in Hamilton County there are so few licensed foster parents that almost half of children in foster care are sent to other counties.2 It’s not unusual for County child welfare workers to put a cot between their desks to put a child to sleep because they are unable to find an available foster home.
What a door this represents for those who love the gospel. The opportunities are voluminous for those who become foster parents. The children themselves may have never known a thing about Jesus, but there is also the opportunity to build relationships with their families and the various workers who facilitate placements. Everyone in the equation has seen the damage created by sin but no true, eternal solution to it. What a privilege to enter that darkness, painful and difficult as it is, and shine the redemption of Jesus there.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…(James 1:27). Of all the things James could have pointed to as unadulterated devotion to the Father, he chose entering into the plight of the needy, the orphan and widow. This must be because in doing this we re-enact what He has done in the gospel. While children in foster care may not technically be orphans, they are functionally without parental care and they need someone to step in and fill that role. James 1:27 calls us to this kind of ministry as an act of devotion to our God.
Not all are equipped for foster parenting, just like not all are equipped to adopt. But perhaps more are equipped than we think. Perhaps the Lord would have us momentarily to lay aside our reasons not to do it and ponder the reasons to do it. It’s possible that when we’ve done that, the reasons not to do it will seem smaller, less significant, even ridiculous.
If you would like to learn more about foster parenting in Hamilton County you can find information here: https://www.hckids.org/foster-parenting/faqs/. If you’d to hear more of the personal side, there are people at Providence who can give their testimony. We’d be happy to connect you with them. Just call the church office.
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1The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/afcars
2https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/07/16/so-many-children-so-little-room/409452001/
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