A dad leads his family, but what if he leads them to a very unfamiliar, unknown place? Today, we’ll consider how to lead your family spiritually.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27

“This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.” – Jeremiah 29:1

Almost five years ago, after having gone through eight years of not having any more children, this big family my wife and I envisioned seemed to be at a standstill. We loved our only child with all of our hearts, but we had always wanted more children. Plan A had always been “just have more kids,” but that didn’t seem to happen.

Into The Unknown

When we first decided to venture into foster care, I remember thinking, “I cant do this.” I remembered my stepfather, who raised me, supported my mother and me, had no biological kids of his own, and treated me like a dad should treat a son. Foster care, honestly, was never something I thought would be in our plans. As a leader and father, it is certainly nothing I felt as a “safe” choice to lead my family. So many unknowns, so much uncertainty. Who will I be bringing into my home, how will that impact my family, or is it safe?

I had no clue of the need and the calling that would enter my life. There are so many children who would do anything for a safe place to call home. Foster care is a road where the destination is worth all the troubles along the way. Now nearly five years later, God not only softened my heart toward foster care, but he has grown my family from 1 child to 6. We have adopted three kids from foster care, had one baby boy, and am currently pregnant with another baby boy. Let me rewind and tell you how fast it all happened.

See, we got into foster care and quickly had three children placed in our home that all needed a forever home. While working through the adoption process for one of them, we found out that we were finally pregnant (6 miscarriages beforehand didn’t make us very confident), but God had a plan. We adopted one child, but we also gave birth to a baby boy bringing us to 3 kids permanently and two others in our care through foster care. While we awaited due process to adopt the other two foster children, we discovered that we were pregnant again.

How to Lead Your Family Spiritually

The point of this story is not to tell you about foster care but also about “uncertainty.” As men and dads, we are expected to lead and keep our families safe. I don’t believe safe and secure is where Jesus can always be found. Sometimes we have to push the boundaries and do something outside of our comfort zone. We can rest knowing that God’s plan will come to fruition no matter what we do. That shouldn’t drive us to laziness but drive us to work to His glory through the means he has provided. If you are unsure about foster care, get involved, do some research, decide for yourself, but there could be a child waiting on you to get out of your comfort zone and give them a home.

You must ask yourself – What could I do, as the leader of my family, to make a difference? It does not have to be foster care. A family is a strong force, especially a close, tight-knit Christian family. That can make an impact on your community or area in which you live. Could we volunteer more, could we donate more, could we make a difference and give someone out there a glimpse of the Gospel? There are many opportunities. The important thing to consider is: how to lead your family spiritually. Start there and find where you’re lead to glorify God.

Author:

Patrick Prescott

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