The God Who Sees
May is National Foster Care Month. In Arkansas, there are more than 3,000 children in Foster Care.
A Reflection for National Foster Care Month
BY HEATHER NOEL, ABCFM DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Sometimes the stories we tell are the ones that first told us who God is.
For me, the biblical account that always rises to the surface—especially when I think about the children who’ve entered our home through foster care—is the story of Hagar. Cast out, wandering in the wilderness, unsure of what’s next, Hagar encounters a God who not only speaks to her but sees her.
And she gives Him a name: El Roi, the God who sees.
It’s easy to think that foster care is about the big moments—placement days, reunification, adoption. But what changes lives is often the quiet, steady choice to see. To notice the child who’s often overlooked. To acknowledge the parent who feels like no one will walk with them through the storm.
At ABCFM, we talk a lot about love, healing, and stability. But underneath all of that is something foundational: the relational needs we all share.
To be seen
To be soothed
To feel safe
To be secure
Isn’t it powerful that “seen” is the very first?
It’s also the first name God was ever given by someone in scripture. And not by a king or prophet—but by Hagar, a vulnerable woman with no power and no voice in her culture. That’s the heart of the gospel: God saw her. And He sees us, too.
God did not leave Hagar alone and on her own.
He did not leave you or me alone and on our own.
And today, we are called to reflect that same kind of presence to the children and families in our communities.
As we enter National Foster Care Month, we’re asking one simple question:
Will you be someone who sees?
Maybe it means becoming a foster parent.
Maybe it means mentoring a teen.
Maybe it means donating or serving or simply praying.
Whatever it looks like, your presence matters more than you know.
When we see as God sees, hope begins to take root. Together, let’s be people who see—because we follow a God who does.