Welcome back to The Forgotten Podcast! In this episode, I have the opportunity to talk with Shyann Skelton. Shyann came from a broken home where she did not know her biological father. She was adopted by her grandmother, but experienced deep pain through loss, bullying, and hardships as she was rejected by family for being biracial.
Shyann’s story begins with odds that were stacked against her, but she has taken those experiences and used them for good! As an adult, Shyann is a foster mom to teen girls and soon will be working with a nonprofit whose goal is to fill the gap while children are waiting for foster homes.
Thank you for listening to her story!
TAKEAWAYS FROM TODAY’S CONVERSATION:
1. Rejection often gets compounded.
As we heard from Shyann, she was not accepted by some biological family members due to being biracial and was bullied in school for the circumstances of her life. Many children in the foster care community feel rejection, and this is not a one-time incident. This is an important reminder that we need to be sensitive to what our kids are experiencing and remind them regularly of how valuable they are.
“When my biological mother passed away, my grandmother became very depressed and let the house go.”
2. God does not waste any part of our stories.
It’s easy to not be able to see past the pain and heartache of our current circumstances. But over and over again, we see how God never wastes any aspect of our stories. In this episode, we can see how God is using Shyann’s experiences to help her relate to other foster children. Even if it doesn’t feel like it at the moment, God can use even the hard parts of your story. No part will be wasted.
“It’s amazing how God knit my whole story together.”
3. There is hope.
We just love hearing how God takes our broken stories and gives us joy again. Even when things feel like they can’t get any better, God steps into our story and gives us hope and healing. Shyann was raised in a broken home and even when she was adopted there were struggles, brokenness, and rejection. And yet, God stepped into her life and brought her peace and happiness that goes beyond her circumstances.
“They would ask me, how are you happy? That was a way to talk about Jesus. I shouldn’t be as happy as I am but it is because of His grace and mercy that I am.”
Meet Our Guest
Shyann Skelton is an adoptee and a foster mom to teen girls. She grew up in a broken home where she never knew her biological father. Shyann was adopted by her grandmother. Growing up as a biracial adoptee, Shyann struggled to find belonging and experienced rejection. Today, Shyann lives in Tennessee where she works at an elementary school. She is about to change careers to work for a nonprofit called Isaiah 117 House.
Get encouragement and updates in your inbox.
Be the first to know about new episodes, posts, resources, and stay in the loop about what’s coming up.
Other Episodes You Might Enjoy:
