"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him may not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16
"A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation."
Psalm 68:5 
"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

One of the women I admire most in my life is also one of my best friends. She is remarkable in her ability to love truly and deeply- and one way that this love manifests itself is in her commitment to foster children. Having already opened her home to several foster children and adopted one, she has felt the joy of meeting the needs of children who so desperately need love and care- and the pain of watching them leave. You see, not only does she love deeply, but she has the unique ability to truly LOVE the children who come into her home, children who have other parents- not just meet their immediate needs, but to LOVE them compassionately with a mother's heart. "God sets the solitary in families..." Psalm 68:6a While this does wonders for the children in her care, it multiplies the pain in her heart when they leave her care. She experienced this very thing just this week, and I am both heartbroken and inspired by her pain.
Those of us who have traveled in church circles long enough have heard sermons on child-rearing, and one thing that has stuck out to me is the phrase "love them with an open hand". What this means is to love your children knowing that they are not really yours, and that they are meant to eventually leave your care. The sad reality is that, while I have often heard and pondered this, I find it exceptionally hard to do. While I know that my children are only mine for a time, I still tend to hang on to them with a ferocious grip- I think most moms do. I can't imagine life without them, and I can't imagine life going on if they were gone. I will be candid and admit that if there IS an idol in my life, it is probably my children- I don't "worship" them, but it is something that I find hard to trust God with. I can't imagine anyone loving them or caring for them as much as I do- even God.
I have certainly improved in this area over the last few years, but I still don't think I love them with the "open hand" I am supposed to have. I do trust God to get me through they difficult days with them, and even teach them that God is the ONLY One who loves them even more than their mommy- but the thought of losing one of them truly terrifies me. How does life go on after that?
Throughout the Bible there are stories of mothers and fathers who suffer the heartbreak of infertility or the loss of a child. Some moms lose their children early on by choice (Hannah dedicating her child Samuel to the Lord after He gave her a child), by bad choices by the children (Cain and Abel), and by death (David's baby with Bathsheba, Mary and Jesus). Even more importantly, there are great examples of God loving and tenderly caring for His children and then losing them or having His heart broken. Whether it is the countless examples of His children turning their backs on Him, or even making the right decisions but dying anyways, He has always given His children the freedom to make their own decisions and choices. Sometimes they choose love. Sometimes they choose to live outside of that love. The love is never revoked. However, choosing to live on the outside of that love means separation from the Father- and separation is never easy on a parent. Especially eternal separation. Those that choose love, even with the millions of sins we commit daily, will ultimately be reunited with our Father- the separation is only for a time. Those that choose otherwise- their separation is eternal. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but He who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son." John 3:18
The ultimate example of God's parental love is celebrated today, Good Friday- Jesus's death on a cross. Both a heartbreaking and a brilliantly inspiring day in the history of the world, God's love for all of His children was brought to glorious and tangible reality by the death of His Son on a cross. Without the cross, we would be eternally separated from God- not a single thing could change that. There would be nothing that could make us good enough for a relationship with Him. But was it heartbreaking for that Father to watch his only begotten Son die a painful, humiliating death? Of course! The worst part of it is that, in the midst of Jesus's pain, He was separated from His Father because the sins of the world were laid on Him- and sin separates children from the God who loves them. "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?'" (Matthew 27:46). But God suffered that heartbreak knowing that good would result from it- good for ALL of His children that accepted that love.
Now, concerning my friend, I know that many would ask, "WHY would you put yourself through that kind of pain?" I have asked myself that as well. Not everyone is cut out to be a foster parent, that much is certain. Being a parent is hard work, but being a parent, knowing that at any moment your child could be taken from you, and doing it anyways- that is an act of love and sacrifice. God knew, from the creation of the world, that His love would culminate in the death of a beloved child- and did it anyways. I think that being a parent necessitates the ability to love knowing that your child will be taken from you, but it is a hard pill to swallow. My children will ultimately grow up and move away (in fact, just today, by sweet little boy in a fit of temper said, "When I grow I am moving AWAY from this house!" Ahem.). They will live lives separate from me. My children may be taken from me by death, which is not something I want to think about, but is certainly a reality. We don't want to think about any of the ways we might lose our children, but it is certain that we will. But right now, while they are young, I am entrusted with their care (for however long) by a God who loves me and loves them even more than I can fathom- and has given me these days to love them and to teach them love, and to teach them of the One who loves them even more. I am entrusted with the duty to raise them to ultimately live a life separate from me- but in communion with their true Parent. 
Praise God that there are people in this world who are so willing to be an example of God's love by loving others when they know that there is such a strong possibility of loss- not just meeting their immediate needs, but of truly LOVING them, and willing to have their hearts broken just for the chance to love them. Praise God that that is exactly how He loves us. And praise God that, in the middle of the trying circumstances this week, He has used it as an example to me of why we have Good Friday in the first place- because of a Father who loves us enough to suffer heartbreak on our behalf, and never gives up loving us despite it.
If you would, please pray for my friend. She's had a hard week.