Matured by Love
Reese and Sarah Shirey, owners of Turbo Coffee, and my amazing bosses have shown me so much love, patience, and kindness. They continually show me the love of Christ in how they run their business, treat their workers, and customers, but they would never tell you about this specific expression of love they have shown in their life. I felt that it was the right time to share this story and use it as D.A. Carson does in Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation to show the love of God for us in Christ, but also to call the people of God to serve the 6000 Foster children in Alabama.
A baby who they now call Frances was a premature baby with drugs in her system that was left in a hospital for six weeks. The CDC reported in 2018 that in “preterm birth affected 1 of every 10 infants born in the United States.” The March of Dimes states that the “babies who are born really early and do very well” are “exceptions.”
What was at risk for Frances? The March of Dimes adds:
“Babies who are born very preterm are at a very high risk for brain problems, breathing problems, digestive problems, and death in the first few days of life. Unfortunately, they also are at risk for problems later in their lives in the form of delayed development and learning problems in school. The effects of premature birth can be devastating throughout the child’s life.”
When I found out she had been left at the hospital for six weeks my heart sunk. My girlfriend JonEllen recalls her thin legs and her small stature because of her malnourishment. It was pure grace that Reese and Sarah got to take her home. The psychological and neurological effects could be life-altering for Frances.
According to the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, “Emotional development is actually built into the architecture of young children’s brains in response to their individual personal experiences and the influences of the environments in which they live.” Further, other child development scholars say that:
“The neurons, or brain cells, in the young infant’s brain are making 300 million connections each second. The connections, or synapses (what connect nerve cells), each record a bit of information the child takes in through his senses and through his own bodily experiences.” This means that though the baby may not remember neglect, their body does. However, “The relief and comfort provided by a responsive adult are also experienced physically and emotionally — and are also continuously changing and building the architecture of the brain.” (pp. 163–4 of The Young Child).
By God’s grace, the architectural structure of Frances’ brain would be changed for the better because Reese and Sarah chose her, loved her, and have now officially adopted her through Alabama’s Foster Care system.
The affection that was shown to this baby. The warmth. The care. The gentleness. The presence of loving parents has matured this little girl. She now walks into the coffee shop with a smile eager to meet new friends.
Friends, if you are in Christ today, this is the kind of love that God has shown you in Christ. You were chosen before the foundation of the world, and in love predestined for adoption as a son (Eph. 1:4–5). Experiencing this eternal love is what matures us into “all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19). Part of this maturity is doing good works (Eph. 2:10). Among many good works, caring for the oppressed and neglected are some of them (Ps. 84:17; Jas. 1:27) and you do not have to go far to find them.
Reese did some simple and compelling math. There are approximately 6000 children in the Foster Care system of Alabama that need a couple of days of care until they can be reunited with their biological family or adopted. There are currently 12,833 churches (twice as many Foster children) in Alabama. Reese and Sarah’s obedience is to be commended and imitated. What is stopping you from changing someone’s life forever?
…learn to do good;
seek justice, correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause (Isaiah 1:17, ESV).
