There is a tug on all our hearts when we read the story of a hero. We are drawn to the epic of a great heart, full of honest and honorable intentions, striving to make the wrong right and bring justice in a darkened world. As the hero faces close calls, we find ourselves holding our breath. As the heroine defends the vulnerable, we cheer her on. We love these stories. We want to be part of one…
And so, we carry these heroic desires out into the world with us. We become mothers and fathers, tellers and cashiers, case managers and foster parents, church planters and missionaries, bankers and businesswomen. In the midst of making the wrong right and defending the vulnerable, in the midst of accomplishing honorable things, we all have a moment where we do or experience a very wrong thing. This moment breaks into our personal heroic narrative, putting the brakes on all our well-intentioned efforts. We aren’t perfect. We can’t change people’s hearts. Will she ever get over her addiction? Will they ever take ownership of our church? Will I really have to give this baby back? Will I ever be able to make a difference?
Here at 4KIDS of South Texas, we face these moments often. We see humanity unveiled, curled up on the floor of their own brokenness. We see parents who have reached the end of their rope, sitting before a judge, waiting for a sentence to be passed. We watch foster families sacrifice what the world has called “normal” choosing to bring vulnerable children into their home and choosing to give them back. We see broken bones, bruises and pain that go far deeper than the skin.
So why do we do what we do? Why do our foster families press on? Why do we take on another case? Our heroic stories are flawed. We aren’t the perfect heroes and the people we serve aren’t the perfect victims, but we have found that we are part of a greater narrative, the perfect narrative with a hero who is fearless in the face of darkness. The hero of our story is Jesus. He came to heal the broken and set the lonely into families. He does this flawlessly and invites us, our imperfect selves, to be part of His story. Jesus has deep compassion for those who are experiencing addiction, loneliness, abuse, bitterness, neglect, abandonment, loss and brokenness. He is not intimidated by any of these things because He has victory over them already. He does change hearts and so we press on.
The purpose of this blog is to inspire hope in the greater narrative that we are a part of: The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Stories, interviews, letters, quotes, songs and videos will be the content and the contributors will range from case managers to foster families to administration and everyone in between. Feel free to comment and encourage below!