Finding Joy On A Road I Never Imagined Walking

My journey to parenthood is rather the opposite journey that Mary went on when she became a mother to Jesus. She miraculously became pregnant without doing anything nor was it something she expected. I on the other hand have been trying and hoping for so long to be able to do what she was blessed with, with no effort of her own. 

Even though our stories went in opposite directions, I have a lot to learn from Mary. Her journey to motherhood destroyed her reputation yet she allowed God to redeem it and to redeem her. This doesn’t mean she lived an easy life. On the contrary, I’m sure she went through many social pains. But she still found the strength to follow God’s will as she pondered how she was being used as a part of His plan to save the world. 

I’m sure having a baby before even being married was not Mary’s ideal path! She, like many of us, probably had a picture of what her life would look like as she was engaged to Joseph. She did not let this derail her joy. She embraced the path that God took her on and God used it to redeem the world. She used it as her strength. 

This journey to becoming foster parents was not my ideal path to parenthood, but I have recognized that it is exactly where God wants me. He has taken what the enemy meant to use to destroy me and He has redeemed it. He is using this very thing that I thought made me worthless and forgotten and He is using it to show me that He has heard every one of my cries. 

The enemy has attempted to use my own journey to motherhood as a way to crush my spirit and I’m sure that he hoped that I would lose trust in God and ultimately give up on following His plans. There were, in fact, many months that I did give the devil a foothold and the joy inside of me felt like a very faint flicker. There have been constant reminders of the fact that I am not yet a mother, and the enemy rubbed that in my face. He made me feel broken, worthless, forgotten, and weak.

The reality is that as a human, I am broken, and I am weak. But I am not worthless, nor am I forgotten. In fact, the King of Kings calls me His child, and every pain I experience is recorded in His mind. God allowed me to go through this valley in order to recognize my own weakness and brokenness. Why? So that His power would be made perfect as we are taught in 2 Corinthians 12. 

In my weakness, I recognized my deep and daily need for God’s grace. His grace radically transforms my story every day. My pain does not need to define me, rather, God’s grace and sovereignty define my story. In reality, it’s not about me and my story anyway! It is all His story. He took what the enemy meant for evil and He used if for good. Not necessarily for my own good, but for His. 

God’s power is greatest and it is made known when I am at my weakest. This doesn’t mean everything will be easy and doesn’t mean that we will be the perfect foster parents. And it certainly does not take away all of the pain that I have experienced over the past 2.5 years. This journey has shown me that my God is so good. He is sovereign. It is in my weakness that these things are magnified. Not because I am great and deserve any of this, but because He is good and deserves all the glory. I believe that He finds joy when we recognize our own weaknesses and humble ourselves before Him. For the joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). 

If you didn’t check out our announcement yet – you can watch that on YouTube here. 

I’d love to know if you have had any experience with the foster care community! Hit reply and share your story. And if you have any questions about becoming a foster parent or supporting the foster care community please let me know. 

Your Friend in Christ, 
Katie Fiola Jones