FOSTER CARE 12 MARCH 2026 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition A place prepared There has been a song on repeat in my life lately. Not in a casual way, but in the kind of way that stops you mid-thought and settles somewhere deeper. It’s centered around the Father’s house. And if I’m honest, that phrase can feel overly familiar. We’ve sung about it. We’ve said it. We’ve framed it in ways that sometimes felt sentimental. But recently, it has felt anything but sentimental to me. It has felt steady, solid and deeply necessary. In John 14:2–3, Jesus says, “In My Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Those words have been stirring something in me: God is preparing a place, a home. Not a temporary shelter, not a borrowed space, not something accidental or improvised. He is preparing a place with intention. And if the Creator of all things gives His attention to preparing a home for us, that tells us something profound about what home truly is. What makes a house a home A house is built with materials. A home is built with preparation. You can walk into two structures made of the same concrete and wood. One feels sterile. The other feels alive. What makes the difference? Attention, intention and most of all, heart. It’s the table that has been set. The room that has been arranged. The details that say, “You were expected here.” Preparation changes everything. And that’s what moves me about John 14. Jesus didn’t say, “I’ll figure something out when you get here.” He said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” Home is prepared in advance. At 4KIDS, we see this every day. Foster families preparing bedrooms before a child arrives. Therapists preparing safe spaces for hard conversations. Mentors preparing their schedules, their patience, their hearts. The preparation itself communicates worth. You mattered enough for someone to get ready for you. The safety of home There is another element that keeps surfacing as I think about the Father’s house. Safety. If you spend even a few minutes watching the news or scrolling through headlines, the world can feel loud and uncertain. Sirens in the distance. Stories of conflict. Tension in relationships. Instability in places we once assumed were steady. It can leave you wondering where safety truly exists. But home, in its truest sense, is meant to be a place of safety. Its physical safety, emotional safety and spiritual safety. It’s a place where you can exhale. Safety is what allows a person to rest. And often, rest must come before healing. Safety is what allows a child to begin dreaming again. To rediscover creativity, to risk trusting, and to imagine and even dream of a future. Without safety, the heart stays guarded. But within safety, the heart can begin to open. The Father’s house is not chaotic, it is not fragile, it is not uncertain, it is prepared, intentional and secure. And that kind of safety transforms people. At 4KIDS, when we talk about a home for every child, we are not simply talking about placement. We are talking about creating environments where children can finally exhale. Where they can rest long enough for healing to begin. That is sacred work. The gift of permanence There is one more piece that feels important to name. Permanence. Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Forever. There is something profoundly stabilizing about knowing a place is not temporary. Children in foster care often experience transition after transition. Moves that were not their choice. Goodbyes they did not initiate. Instability that reshapes how they see the world. That is why permanency matters so deeply. Not just a roof. Not just a bed. But a sense of forever. Psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, permanence creates belonging. It gives the heart something steady to stand on. The Father’s house is not a seasonal invitation. It is a forever promise. When we anchor ourselves in that truth, it reshapes how we approach the homes we build here and now. We begin to understand why preparation matters. Why safety matters. Why stability matters. Because they reflect something eternal. An invitation that sounds like home As we continue exploring this idea of home together, I am becoming more convinced that there is no better picture of what home should be than the Father’s house. A place prepared with intention. A place where safety allows rest and healing. A place marked by permanence and belonging. And when you know a place like that exists, when you know a place has been prepared for you, something inside of you begins to respond. There is something about the language of Scripture that feels less like information and more like invitation. “I go to prepare a place for you.” “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” These are not just statements; they are relational promises. And maybe that is what has been stirring in me lately. That home, in its truest form, always carries an invitation. For children who need safety. For families who are preparing space. For hearts that long for something steady and secure. For all of us walking toward the forever home that has already been prepared. At 4KIDS, we are committed to reflecting that heart, preparing spaces where children can rest, heal and belong. Because when a home is prepared with intention, shaped by safety and grounded in permanence, it does more than shelter a person. It welcomes them. And deep down, I think every heart recognizes the sound of that welcome. The Father’s House - Andrew Holmes - 4KIDS President
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