HIS kids... Hesitant to Belong

by Madison McCall

You Are Worth It, Founder

THEN

He came in quietly. Hesitant. His little feet shuffled across the floor, unsure of the space, unsure of the people. His eyes scanned the room, but he stayed close to the one constant he knew, his foster mom and his foster sister. He didn’t want anyone else to hold him. Not yet. There was something in his spirit, strong and tender at the same time. A boy carrying a story that was heavy for someone so small, a story that had been painful, but not defining. Because while his story had wounds, it also had wonder. It made him unique. It made him special. It made him HIS.

He was unsettled and scared until his little hands found the red shopping cart. It was such a simple moment. But at that moment, something shifted. His grip tightened on the cart, his feet planted firmer on the floor. He began to explore. A spark of confidence flickered in his eyes. He had found something he could control, something just his size, something that helped him feel safe.

His foster mom left the paperwork behind that day, and a staff member, someone who had walked closely with this family, someone who loved them deeply, had offered to drop it off. But when she arrived at their home, she didn’t find the scared little boy she had met just thirty minutes before. She found joy. She found him running, smiling, laughing with his foster siblings. His whole face lit up with peace. He was home. In the environment God had placed him in, surrounded by a family that was pouring love into his heart, he had opened up.

And then something even more beautiful happened. The same little boy who wouldn’t let the staff member hold him at the appointment ran straight into her arms the moment she walked through the door. That’s the power of thirty minutes. That’s the difference PS I Love You made in such a short time. Not just a cart and a store, but a moment that began to break down walls. A safe space. A little spark of God’s healing. Now, that staff member has been invited back. Back into his world, back into his joy. She’s witnessed a transformation that only God could orchestrate. Because not every story is the same. And that’s the beauty of it. God didn’t design us to be copies of one another. He handcrafted each of our journeys, some messy, some miraculous, all meaningful. And in every unique story, we get to carry His love and light into the world. This little boy? He’s a walking testimony. Of healing. Of hope. Of the quiet, sacred ways God is always working. And he is home.

NOW

He came back through the doors of PS I Love You with the brightest smile. The kind that made everyone around him stop and smile. This time, there was no fear in his steps, no hesitation in his eyes. The moment he saw the staff member, he ran straight into her arms, laughing, holding on like they’d been friends forever. The same little boy who once hid behind his foster mom now wanted to be held, to be seen, to be loved-and he was.

When he spotted the red cart, his whole face lit up. It was more than a toy to him now, it was a piece of his story. A small reminder of where healing began. He pushed it proudly, his laughter echoing through the room. You could see it in him-the peace, the freedom, and the evidence of God’s grace flowing through his little life.

As the staff member talked with his foster mom, she couldn’t help but notice how much he had grown-how joy had become his new language. And then, in the middle of that ordinary moment, something extraordinary happened. He tugged on his foster mom’s sleeve, looked up, and said softly, “Momma, Momma.”

The world seemed to pause. The staff member’s eyes filled with tears, as she had not heard him call her that. That one word “Momma,” carried the weight of belonging, healing, and home. Just a few short months ago, he was the quiet, cautious boy who wasn’t sure where he fit. But now? Now he runs, laughs, and calls someone Momma. Only God could write a story like that. One of redemption, grace, and the beautiful ways He turns fear into freedom and hearts into home.