When God Gives You the Family You Never Expected

November is National Adoption Month.

In the United States, there are nearly 400,000 children in the foster care system whose parents cannot safely care for them. These children need someone who will house them and provide for their basic needs.

Addressing this issue is not easy because foster care is not easy. Consider that the process always begins with a child losing a home and a family. Nevertheless, God is present in the midst of confusion.

I’ve discovered that truth firsthand. Many in our audience know that it is very close to my heart because I lived it. After my parents divorced and my mother died, I went into foster care as a young child for almost two years. I drew strength from verses like Psalm 34:18, which says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

My wife, Jean, encouraged me a few years ago to take a personal stake in this issue. Since then, we’ve welcomed several foster children into our home over the years.

Focus on the Family got involved in foster care ministry almost 20 years ago. Through our Wait No More initiative, we’ve encouraged and equipped many Christian couples to play a role in helping children find forever families.

On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “When God Gives You the Family You Never Expected,” I’m talking with Jillana Goble, founder of Embrace Oregon, which became the catalyst for a statewide movement to care for children and families touched by foster care.

She is sharing how her journey of faith gave her a tender heart for vulnerable people and sparked her mission to encourage Christian couples to seek God’s will regarding their involvement in adoption and foster care.

Tune in for our full conversation on your local radio station, online, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, via Google Podcasts, or take us with you on our free phone app.

Even if you don’t feel led to adopt a child yourself, there are other ways to engage. Jean and I have done respite care and foster care. Respite means you support other families in their foster care efforts. That could be taking the kids for a weekend, providing meals, doing laundry, or coming alongside a family prayerfully and emotionally. There are a lot of ways to play a part if you’re willing.

If you’re ready to explore adoption or foster care, find helpful information at our website Wait No More. We’ll help you discover what you can do to step into the life of a foster child in the name of Christ.

Jillana Goble’s book A Love-Stretched Life: Stories on Wrangling Hope, Embracing the Unexpected, and Discovering the Meaning of Family is available for a gift of any amount. That money goes right back into ministry, providing hope and help to families just like yours.

And when you help Focus on the Family with a gift, your donation will be DOUBLED for twice the impact in helping others through this ministry. Our thanks to generous donors who’ve made that possible. Click here for more information or call 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).