My husband and I have been asking ourselves, what would mean for us to give the first and best of our time, of our talent, and of our treasure.
For more than 20 years, we had an unspoken motto: We were fully committed to doing whatever it takes to care for any foster child in our home. We sacrificed hundreds, maybe thousands of hours of free time, hobbies, friendships, date nights, even family vacations for one child. And then for the next child, and then for the one after that. This is what it meant for us to give the first and best of our time.
Caring for these children was our passion, the joy of our heart. It was such an honor to care for the sickest, the weakest, the most broken and frail, and then to experience the thrill of watching them grow and thrive. Of course, having a child who was frequently in the hospital, or who was connected to life-saving equipment at home, or who struggled with unpredictable and destructive behaviors meant that we were unable to serve in church ministries or teach Sunday School classes or lead Bible studies. But it did mean that we were doing what God had called us and uniquely gifted us to do. This is what it meant for us to give the first and best of our talent.
Earlier this year, when I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, our motto suddenly, by necessity, switch directions. Now instead of doing whatever it takes to care for a foster child, we became committed to doing whatever it takes for me to fight cancer. For me to find healing and wholeness.
