What if this were the year?
What if this were the year that you made a difference?
What if 2016 were the year that you finally decided to put good thoughts into action, instead of just thinking about it?
In this year of 2016, you are given the gift of 365 opportunities to make a difference. 365 opportunities to change a life. 365 opportunities to help a child in need.
For you see, this year of 2016 is not just one opportunity, it is 365 different opportunities to bring good unto our early, to bring change in a world that needs it, to bring hope and healing to children who are suffering so very tragically and in so many ways. It is not just one chance to make difference in this world, but 365 different days to do so.
Imagine if you chose to embrace this opportunity; these opportunities. Imagine if you decided to become an advocate for children who are suffering, and who are in need.
On any given day this year, there will be roughly 400,000 children placed into the foster care system. Sadly, there are not enough people willing to fight for these children, willing to be their advocated, willing to make a difference in their lives.
Some say they are too busy. Others say they don't have enough resources. There are those who say that they don't know how to help. Far too many say that what they want to do won't matter in the long run.
But, there is enough time to help. You do have enough resources. There are ways. What you do each day WILL matter.
Two days before Christmas, my home saw 22 children in it, at one time or another. From former foster children of ours to some homeless teens near where we live, to current children in foster care living with our family, to our own children; it was one busy and crowded day. My wife and I hosted a large Christmas meal, complete with stockings for many of these children; these children who were unable to have a true Christmas celebration. Could my wife and I do it all by ourselves? Possibly. By grace, though, there were some in the community who reached out by helping us with meals, helping us with gifts, and helping us with transportation. These people took the opportunity to make a difference, and chose to help change lives. Not only did their actions help the children in my home, but they helped my wife and I. Not only did their actions touch the lives of those children in need, they touched the hearts of my family.
There are plenty of excuses you can find, each day. There are plenty of valid reasons you can use to justify why you will not use 2016 as the year you make a difference. Indeed, society will most likely not fault you in not helping. After all, you are too busy, you have too much on your plate, too many responsibilities, and there is nothing that you can really do, anyways, to help.
You can continue to believe that in 2016. You can continue to live that lifestyle for the next 365 days. On the other hand, you can decide, right now, to make this the year that YOU change the world; that YOU make a difference; that what YOU do helps make the lives of children in need better. You have it within you to change the future of a child, to bring joy and happiness to a child who is hurting, to save a life.
There is a child out there, right now, who is hoping that you will help them.
Will this be the year?
Now, I need your help in helping other children in need. Please join me. Together we can provide a home for more children. I need your help. They need your help. It is Never Too Late for a happy childhood. It is never too late for a child to start healing and find love. Help me protect more children, and provide a loving place where they can find healing HERE.
Dr. John DeGarmo has been a foster parent for 13 years, now, and he and his wife have had over 45 children come through their home. Dr. DeGarmo is the author of several foster care books, including the brand new book Love and Mayhem: One Big Happy Family's Story of Fostering and Adoption. Dr. DeGarmo is the host of the weekly radio program Foster Talk with Dr. John, He can be contacted at drjohndegarmo@gmail, through his Facebook page, Dr. John DeGarmo, or at his website.