As foster parents, many of us start our journeys excited to support families and care for children. We are excited to step in with compassion during crisis.
Sometimes, couples are on different pages initially but soon realize both need to be 100% invested in doing what is best for their family and the new families they are welcoming into their lives and homes.
When a couple brings themselves to another family and child in need, it’s easy to put everything they have into the crisis surrounding their lives. This means other “less important” things fall by the wayside. Couples may think their marriage is healthy, but this is precisely when the marriage needs to be focused on the most. To have longevity in foster care, couples need to make their marriage a priority. The list of priorities needs to be Jesus, spouse, forever children, ministry. Foster care cannot come first. Foster care is hard. The foundations of Jesus and marriage need to be first.
We’ve gathered some resources focusing on marriage in ministry—foster care ministry specifically. Check them out. What are things you and your spouse need to implement to stay healthy and supporting others well? Set a time to discuss these specifics with your spouse and make it a priority.
Keeping a Healthy Marriage When Fostering
“You are in this together! You chose each other first. Keep choosing one another. A healthy marriage, one that leans on Christ, is the greatest gift you can give to the children who will come into your home.
What one thing will you do today to show your spouse love?”
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Connecting With Your Spouse: Setting Priority As Foster Parents
“With the demands of parenting, time spent connecting with your spouse can easily be moved to the back-burner. It’s a slow progression of choices and unintended consequences of decisions made. You intend to have that conversation with your husband, but with the caseworker coming over for a home visit today, it gets pushed lower on the priority list. Interruptions bring a change in plans, and suddenly, you haven’t been able to have a date night in months.”
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Strategies for Making Your Marriage a Safe Haven
“Beth Guckenberger and her husband Todd have been married more than 25 years and, between biological, foster, and adopted children, they have raised ten children. They have found some unique strategies to keep their marriage strong and vibrant, enabling them to better serve those they have been called to serve. Beth shares these and other ideas in this can’t miss episode!”
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