Blessed to Give

A well-known phrase from Christianity is “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This truth permeates the hearts and minds of most believers and has even seeped into secular culture. We see it quoted in Acts 20.35 as Paul is encouraging the Ephesians to support one another. It may seem a bit counterintuitive, but when God moves in our heart to give to and serve others, we experience divine joy. This is because through our selflessness we become more conformed to the image of Christ, who gave himself for us. Further, the more we serve, the more we grow in our love for service. We cultivate ways to reflect His goodness and glory to those around us. 

God calls us to be a helper because he is a helper. This is reflected throughout Scripture. In Matt. 5.16, for example, Jesus says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Helping others is not just a good thing to do: it is a holy thing to do. Exhibiting the love of Christ to others amid a self-serving culture sets us apart as believers. Serving foster families gives an opportunity to experience this blessing. What a wonderful way to grow in holiness! 

Do you have a plan to show Christ's love to your foster family this month? Here are some ideas:

Take a meal – Food is always a good idea. You could even take it a step further and organize a meal calendar that provides your family a meal per week. If you live far away from your family, send a door dash or Uber eats gift voucher. 

Create a new placement basket – Has your family received a new placement lately? Create a basket of supplies they may need. Once you know the child’s age you can pick up some clothing, pajamas, personal hygiene items, toys, snacks, or school supplies. Ask the family if there is a specific need. Be sure to give this basket as a gift to the foster parents, so they can decide what and when these things are given to the child. 

Regularly check in with the family – Look and listen. Try to observe what they are doing and look for ways to jump in and help. It can be very helpful just to provide a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. Try to refrain from offering unsolicited advice. 

Buy the family a fun membership – As a support team consider pulling together resources to buy a membership the family could use with the children. Some ideas are a family zoo membership, a state or national park pass, or a museum pass. 

Prayer – Finally, but most importantly…PRAY regularly for your family. Don’t just pray for them. Let them know you are praying for them. Set a reminder in your phone to pray for them daily or weekly. After you have prayed, send them a note letting them know what you prayed. You could send a physical note in the mail, an email, or a text. Also consider a voice recording of you praying for them. Then they can save it and listen to it whenever they need a reminder that someone is praying for them.