Building A Loving Foster Family: 1st Corinthians 13: 4-13

1st Corinthians 13: 4-13

When looking at the New Testament, you are introduced to 1st Corinthians 13 v 4-8. The word "Corinthians" comes from the Greek word for brothers and sisters. This section is believed to have been written by St. Paul.

This is a vital chapter in our Bible to follow as a foster parent. This wisdom of God will help families build strong roots and create loving support for their foster children.

Chapter 13:

Verse 1: 

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 

Verse 2:

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. 

Verse 3:

If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Verse 4:

Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud. 

Verse 5:

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Verse 6:

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

Verse 7:

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Verse 8:

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 

Verse 9:

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 

Verse 10:

But when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 

Verse 11:

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 

Verse 12:

For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Verse 13:

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

Foster Families, Foster Care, and Corinthians 13

Verse 4:

Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud.

This should be the mantra of all foster parents. Most foster parents don't boast about the loving gift they can provide to children in foster care.

Verse 7:

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

This is the mission of a foster parent who works within the foster care system. They ensure the safety and growth of their foster child. Even in moments of struggle and adversity, the parents must hold onto hope and persevere with their child.

Verse 13:

And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

Faith, hope, and love speak to our hearts. Our mission, and the mission of all foster parents, is to protect and serve the most vulnerable members of our society. Our abused and lost children deserve to be taught that they are worthy of faith, hope, and love.

1st Corinthians 13 helps us understand the importance of family love. When reflecting on what the Bible says about fostering community and support, we can see St. Paul urges us to lead our lives with love and compassion for others.