Oh friends, please watch this video. I will warn you that it's really hard to see, but so incredibly well done & worth it.
Following a precious girl through her story of a broken home and a journey into foster care, this short film 'ReMoved' was so, so good for my soul.
If you are sobbing right now, you are not alone. I was doing the ugly cry. You'd almost think I were seeing these scenarios for the first time.
And for parts of it, it's true. Our foster kids all have their own story and for their privacy, we will keep it as their story to tell. In fact, there are many parts we don't know. But to have a visual depiction of how things might have been.... this wrecked me.
To imagine the sweet older sister dressing & feeding them, holding their hand and whispering that it will be okay. To imagine what they've seen. What they've heard. What they've been through. We don't even know the extent of it.
But...
The look she gives the caseworker when getting in the car... we've seen that look of paralyzing fear.
The way she rejects love, being unable to trust... we've felt that rejection.
The way she uses her body to express what her mind just can't comprehend...we've experienced the bruises from it.
The way something as well-intended as a new dress can send her down a horrible path... we've experienced that confusion.
But God.
But God.
But God. Two of the most beautiful words in the entire Bible. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check this out! This is just a tiny sampling of all the verses with these words, but they are REAL GOOD:
Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Psalm 49:15
But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.
Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I don't have all the answers, but I certainly have hope. May we step forward and offer to do something as bold as loving a broken heart. May we offer to be the light at the end of the tunnel.
There are glimpses of hope in each moment of progress, in each step toward trust, in each giggle, each new lesson learned, and each hug. May we FILL these little souls with "but God" statements.
This quote is sticking with me: "Maybe there's something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go. It's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt because it matters."
-John Green
