Curse Words

Please forgive any offense. 

I curse.

I'm fully aware it is wrong for a myriad of reasons. Over the last three years, I've worked to remove   inappropriate language from my vocabulary, but I still fail sometimes.

Some of you are thinking...
   Not sweet Catie with the Minnie Mouse voice.
Others of you are thinking...
   That's the worst sin you're going to confess... because you've seen much worse from me.

By God's grace I've come far in this habit, but one popped up in my brain yesterday...

We were at family court for some of our kiddos. We were discussing with lawyers some of the obstacles and issues children are facing in Jefferson and Shelby Counties. Then it happened.

"You see, Mrs. Lumpkin, when a child in this county reaches a certain age, and they are of a certain type, we place them in a category called unadoptable."

**** (That's in my head.)

"Please, explain to us what that means," we replied.

Well, it's been proven that at about the age of 9, a child is no longer really desirable, and so we simply leave them in the system until they are able to age out and be on their own."

My head hurt. It still hurts. I knew this, but it's another thing to come face to face with it.

I've shared it with a few friends and family members. We ranted about the broken system.

But the truth...

It was never the system's job. They are doing the best they can do, and it is imperfect, but it's the best. The reason there are 500 children in an undesirable, unadoptable category in our neighborhood is because there is no one to adopt them.

X that. There are people to adopt, to mentor, to care for, but they just aren't available right now.

No, it's not everyone's calling to adopt and foster. And yes, a lot of these 500 children have a lot of hard, hard things to face, but it is a command to care for the orphan, and these 500 cost no money, no traveling.

The only cost, is showing up.

Many are in group homes and simply need someone to counsel them into a new stage of life.

500 purely orphaned children in our counties right here. On a good Sunday, we have almost 400 people fill the walls of our church. And we're not a big church. I recently heard of a large church in town with 20,000 members.

500...

      with no one to teach them how to grocery shop, no one to celebrate their graduations, no one to help them prepare for college, or to encourage them to even dream of college.

No one to tell them they can break the cycle.

I was generally discussing this with Big Sis last night.

She asked, "So all these kids, the state becomes their mom and dad for good?"

"Kind of," I replied, "but not really."

"Gosh, we need to pray big for these kids because UNADOPTABLE is a really bad word. It should never be said."

"You're right, honey. It is a bad word."

That's one I will never let seep into my vocabulary.