2 Chronicles 7:14
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This year somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 hundred kids will be born in New York State and every United State – who in exactly 18 years will exit out of the Child Welfare System never knowing the unconditional, merciful, grace-filled life of being in a family.
Oh, they may know it from afar – in their dreams; they may even see it up close – in foster care: but for each of those 15 hundred kids , 2028 will be much like 2009, and 2008, and 2007. And the beat goes on.
That’s because on average the numbers don’t change from year to year. For every child who gets adopted out of the system there’s another child who simply ages out; and both unfortunately are replaced in number and space by children entering in.
How do we change this dismal picture?
Two steps really: one, let the church step up and adopt all the fatherless festering in the Child Welfare System. If every church in America adopted one child, just one child, the pool would be empty.
Step two, don’t let at-risk kids in danger of being sucked in to the System achieve that cultural-filling prophecy. If every church in America committed to praying for all the Moms, Dads, Aunt’s, Uncles, and Grand-Parents as well, those who put these kids in danger in the first place; oh, what God would do.
Scripture says the poor we will always have among us: it says no such thing about the fatherless.
