"Messy Mama, Reporting for Duty"

The messiest part of fostering children is navigating the minefield of each of their messes.  Each child is different.  Each story is different.  Each one carries a different brokenness, like a heavy piece of luggage, with them.  Each child bears scars;  some we know about, others we learn about, and others we will never know about.  

Their mess is their life.  They are very limited in what they can do about it.  Most just fight to survive their mess on a daily basis.  Meshing their messes with our messes (because we're all human) makes for one big minefield.  At any point in any day you can find yourself battling a full blown explosion.

Just like each child and each mess, each explosion is different with a variety of factors, causes, damage areas, and effects on others.   As the foster parent, it is your job to assess, act, stabilize, and secure the safety of everyone in your home at the time.  When needed, call for back up!

Our most recent crisis moment completely caught me off guard.  Did.....not......see.......it.....coming.  Before I knew it, we were smack dab in the thick of an all out escalated explosion of emotions.  That crazy minefield got us!  Dang it!  Why wasn't I more careful or more prepared?

I've spent the weekend beating myself up.  Actually, I've spent the weekend riding the pendulum---swinging between "beating myself up for allowing the explosion to happened" to "thank you Lord for revealing this danger sooner rather than later".  It's been a messy ride inside this heart.

When God sends a child to our home for us to love on and care for and represent Christ to, I don't want a Messy Mama reporting for duty.  But the reality is, perfection does not exist, therefore we are going to be messy and get messy.  Some days, more so than others.   You can't deal with an explosion of emotions in your home and not get messy.  And God knows that.  And God still asks you to report for duty.

We have no idea the why's or how's or what's next of this assignment, but we answered the call, I reported for duty as a Messy Mama, and we can rest assured that God is more than able to provide damage control in His perfect will.  We will continue to open our arms and home to the messes, baggage, brokenness, scars, and deep needs of those struggling just to survive their own lives.

Will we get messy?  Yes.  Will they get messy?  Yes.  Is this what God is calling us to do?  Yes.  Is this what children need from us?  Yes.  Nothing takes God by surprise, so I am a "Messy Mama, Reporting for Duty" and following God into battle; knowing He is fighting for us AND them.