saying no. saying yes.

saying no is hard. i often struggle with over-committing because i don't want to say no, i don't want to let people down. nothing, however, compares to how hard it is to say 'no' to giving a child a home. i know we have to... that they aren't the right fit for our family... that we can't meet their needs. but that never makes it easy

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today we got a call asking if we could take a young boy. one who has adhd. and displays a lot of aggression. one who has a habit of setting fires.

we said no.

it was not the first time we said no to taking in a child, and it won't be the last. i do not regret saying no. no part of me thinks we could provide adequately for him or make him a lasting part of our family. he needs help we can't provide, care we can't give. but it did make me wonder... who will say yes to a seven-year-old arsonist with anger issues? what kind of a future does he have? i pray it is one with the right mix of counselling, therapy and prayer. that he's in a safe, controlled environment that is also filled with love.

the sad truth is he probably isn't. i wish there were more people willing to love the hurt kids in our own communities. more resources available to those who try. more loving homes willing to take in hurt and damaged kids before they become really broken kids. is it hard? yes. it is inconvenient. it is stressful. it is very messy. but our homes and our families are the church. if we aren't the kind of family who can say yes, what kind of person does?