Our Call to Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly in Foster Care

Foster care exists at the intersection of love and loss, protection and pain. As such, this intersection often reveals a quiet, yet profound, tension. Foster parents, professionals, and other support people within foster care are frequently fierce advocates for children who have experienced neglect or abuse, yet many struggle to extend empathy toward the biological parents whose actions or circumstances led to a child’s removal. From a Christian perspective, this tension highlights two Biblical imperatives held in constant relationship: the call to pursue justice for the vulnerable and the call to embody Christlike mercy toward His people.

Scripture is undeniable in its insistence that God stands with those who are powerless. Throughout the Old Testament, orphans, widows, and the vulnerable are repeatedly named as recipients of God’s concern. Psalm 82:3 commands God’s people to “defend the weak and the fatherless” and to “uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” In its original context, this psalm rebukes leaders who failed to protect those without social or legal standing. Justice, in this sense, is not abstract; it is active and protective. The New Testament continues this. James 1:27 defines “pure and faultless” religion as caring for orphans and widows in their distress. This language implies active involvement: entering suffering rather than observing it from a distance.

Our foster parents live out this calling intimately. They welcome trauma and suffering into their homes and are intentional to foster healing and redemption within that. Their anger toward harm, therefore, is arguably rooted in a deeply Christian instinct to protect the vulnerable. Even Jesus demonstrates righteous anger when exploitation occurs, as seen when He overturns the tables in the temple (Matthew 21:12–13). Christ shows us time and time again that justice is not optional, but an essential expression of God’s character.

However, Scripture refuses to allow justice to stand alone, often pairing it with mercy. Micah 6:8 articulates this balance: “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” The working relationship between justice and mercy is further embodied throughout the ministry of Christ. Jesus repeatedly engages people whose lives are marked by moral failure, social marginalization, or public shame. However, He does so without condoning sin and without withholding compassion. He pursues justice and extends mercy at the same time. For example, in John 4, Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman, who has had relations with many men, at the well. Rather than shaming her for her relational status or ignoring the truth of her circumstances, Jesus names her reality with honesty and still offers her dignity and belonging. Similarly, in John 8, when a woman caught in adultery is brought before Him, Jesus neither denies the seriousness of her sin nor allows the crowd to harm her.

Instead, he declares, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.”

His statement forces an examination of our collective brokenness. When He tells the woman, “Neither do I condemn you… Go now and leave your life of sin,” He holds together mercy and a call to justice.

This pattern portrays significant guidelines for how we should view biological parents within the foster care system. Many biological parents are shaped by forces such as trauma, addiction, poverty, mental illness, and generational injustices. Acknowledging these realities does not excuse harm or negate the need for accountability. However, it does challenge narratives that reduce people to their worst actions. He shows us that justice without mercy risks dehumanization, while mercy without justice risks harm minimization. The inclusion of our own humility reminds us, therefore, of the shared need for grace—regardless of shortcomings or sin. Furthermore, Psalm 34:18 reminds believers that “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Scripture repeatedly links sin with suffering, urging God’s people to approach brokenness with compassion rather than contempt. And, as Romans 5:8 affirms, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The foundation of the Gospel is arguably that God’s mercy was, and is, given freely and undeservedly. His grace precedes repentance, not the other way around.

Within foster care, then, a Christ-centered posture does not deny the need for boundaries, consequences, or intervention. Christianity does not ask us to excuse abuse or ignore danger, but it does call us to resist both dehumanization and self-righteousness in the process. This kind of faithful posture within foster care, thus, insists on children’s safety while refusing to declare any person beyond the reach of redemption.

Holding justice and mercy together is neither easy nor comfortable. It requires emotional maturity, spiritual humility, and a willingness to live within unresolved tension. Yet this tension mirrors the heart of the Good News itself. At the cross, truth is told, harm is named, and love absorbs the cost. Justice and mercy, therefore, are not competing virtues but complementary expressions of our God, who protects the vulnerable while pursuing the lost.

For those engaged within the ministry of foster care, the task is not to choose between advocacy and empathy, but to practice both faithfully, trusting that restoration, ultimately, belongs to God.

We can feel angry and heartbroken within the realities of what led a child to enter the foster care system. And, at the same time, we can recognize the humanity of those who, at the end of the day, aren’t so different from the rest of us. It’s my opinion that when we can hold both at the same time, justice for the foster child and mercy for the biological parents, healing is welcomed into brokenness and His redemption can reign.

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Alexis Price

About the Author

Alexis Price, LSW, MSW

Foster Care Assessor

I love working as a Foster Care Assessor with Encourage! I have a passion for developing deep connections and relationships, and it is an honor to be welcomed into people's stories. I am passionate how to best support our foster families and kiddos as well as getting to walk alongside them in these meaningful journeys.