Early on in our journey with Safe Families, I came upon this scene as my girls were playing in their room. When I asked what they were doing they said they were taking care of their Safe Families’ babies. This was after only a few conversations with our children about Safe Families and mentioning the possibility of us hosting other children. They took it upon themselves to practice fulfilling that need in their own childlike way! In their eyes, there was a need and they immediately wanted to help, as best as they could, to meet that need. It was just one of the ways God was confirming to us that this was something our family should pursue.
There is nothing particularly special about our family save for the fact that we have a great God. He is rich in mercy and has shown His kindness towards us in so many ways. One way He has shown His kindness is through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ tells us we are the ones without hope, the outcast, the stranger without a homeland, the widow without a husband, but Jesus came to rescue us. Through His sacrifice on the cross we have been adopted into God’s family. We now can care for those in need because our Heavenly Father came to us in our need, and He has met those needs in His Son. These verses speak to me about what we’ve received and how we should love those around us.
Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”
v. 11-13 “In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ.”
– a Loved Host Mom who Loves, Maine