How to Really Pray for Foster Families

Day 2 Pray for Influence

Generational trauma is trauma that has endured throughout multiple generations in a family. After the 'honeymoon' period of a foster care placement is over, the trauma often manifests as very uncommon behaviors in your "average childhood". For example, violence, abuse, or neglect tend to be passed down from generation to generation, and this behavior will express itself in the foster family's home.

Despite that generational trauma, foster families invite the child into their home to offer some healing, safety, and normalcy to a chaotic life. When one participates in this ministry, they have the power to influence so many others. They follow the foster calling like a Sunday School teacher would follow a Christion education calling.

Often foster families are put upon pedestals as heroes or saviors for these children. That is not the case.

With a tug on our hearts for these children, we foster parents feel compelled and unselfishly follow the calling.

Foster Parents are allowed to influence others in child welfare. Pray that foster parents can influence a world that cannot understand our desire to step into foster care and make a difference in children's lives, biological families, and the foster system. This process allows foster parents to influence social workers, case managers, lawyers, medical professionals, and many other providers—influence, as defined in the Bible, is to share the gospel through meaningful relationships.

Christian foster parents influence the truth of "family" and love as described in the Bible by opening our hearts and homes to those in need. Pray that we are positive influences in the world and that people recognize that Christian Foster Parents do this as a calling. When good works are displayed, we glorify Christ, as Matthew 5:16 explains. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (KJV)

Pray for influence in the daily life for the children in our homes, so they realize that we are different and have the fruit of the Spirit. Pray for foster parents who will influence with kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, love, and self-control. These attributes are often absent before being in Christian foster care.