A Heart to Cherish

By Judith McNees

Description:

Everyone leaves…including God.

That’s how Julia Price feels after years of being passed over in foster homes. All she has ever wanted is a family, but when she finds herself pregnant and homeless, her dreams seem further away than ever.

Strait-laced good guy Alex Morgan has waited his entire life for the woman God has prepared for him. When he makes it his mission to help Julia, he wonders whether she could be that woman. But why would God lead him to a pregnant non-believer?

As Julia struggles with issues of self-worth and trust, can she open her heart to both God and Alex? And can Alex trust their relationship to the One who holds Julia in His hand?

Awards:

Why the author wrote this book:

A Heart to Cherish was conceived in my heart as a response to the years I spent as part of the foster care system here in Michigan. While I met many wonderful foster and adoptive parents through the various support groups I joined, my heart broke for the many children who age out of the system without ever being adopted into a loving home.

During the licensing process, one of my dear friends revealed that she had been in foster care as a teen and told me stories of how horrific it had been at times. Later, when I listened to stories from those who were brave enough to share their heartbreak over social media when a foster child simply wouldn't receive the care and love they were offering, I realized how deeply broken our system truly is.

Burn-out is high among those social workers who are a part of child welfare as well as the foster parents who try to serve. There are always more children in need than there are beds available, and it is common to hear stories of families like the fictitious one in Alex's church who ended up with nine children.
These children, the Julias of the world, need our love and support, and so do those who have laid down their lives to take in these kids, knowing their hearts will break every time they have to send another one back into the world. Please consider how you can get involved. If you can't foster, find a family you can support with meals, respite, or material possessions for the kids that come into care with little more than the clothes on their backs.

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27