Jessica always wanted to be a mom, but after almost nine years and not a positive pregnancy test in sight, she and her husband Christopher sold their house and horses, and they moved closer to town. Christopher began to dream about foster care and adoption, but Jessica was resistant. She had heard how hard it was to be a foster parent, and she was afraid of what it would cost.
Jessica had been working at Shelbyville Community Church in children’s ministry, so instead, she dove headlong into loving the children in her church. That’s when a new kid started showing up in her class on Sundays, a sweet and spunky girl who was attending church with her foster family. As Jessica got to know her new little friend, she observed the foster care process through the eyes of a child. Eventually, Jessica went home and told her husband, “If that’s what foster care is, then I could do that.”
Jessica and Christopher’s story has taken many twists and turns, full of unexpected loss and overwhelming provision. Now, after 12 years of marriage, the Seelyes have a home full of explosive diapers, sippy cups, and toddler toys. It’s a life that’s hard and holy, and it’s exceeding their wildest dreams.
When asked what foster care has taught her about God, Jessica says, “Fostering reaffirms my lack of control and my need for surrender. What I can control is being grateful for the parenting I get to do today, getting to show these kids love while their families heal, and seeing how these kids are able to have a healthy start because we said yes.” Saying yes starts with surrender, and Jessica knows who is in control of the outcome: “I’m part of their story, but I’m not writing their story. That’s God’s job.”
It would be easy to look at Jessica and Christopher’s story and see loss, but God has taken their unfettered obedience and turned it into overflowing abundance.
That’s what a ‘yes’ can do.
Written By: Maggie Johnson