Unselfishness Tuesday, June 01, 2010

I attended a scene today that affected me deeply. My partner and I were called to "assist social services". We were to monitor the status of the adults in a family setting as there was a strong potential of violence. When we entered the home we noticed that the walls were filthy, clothing lay stacked in every corner, unwashed dishes were strewn around the apartment and a strong odor of marijuana hung in the air.

In my vocation working in the police service I find that I have to guard against becoming too hard and also from allowing myself to be too soft. So as I entered the residence my walls began popping up; these parents don't deserve to have kids; these parents are bad people etc, etc. The first thing I noticed was that both parents and two of the four children were deaf. I watched as the social worker and a translator signed feverishly to tell the family that the children were going to be taken into custody, away from their parents, even though earlier that day the courts had determined that the family could stay together, (under certain conditions). I was not made aware of all the details however it was very plain that the whole family was very distressed. After the first wave of emotion swept through the apartment, another wave started when that social worker informed the parents that the children would be split up; three of the children would go to one home and one, (speaking), child would go by himself. The family became very stressed and emotional, crying and hugging, with the mother demanding that the children be kept together. Finally after a few phone calls the social worker stated that she was able to place the two young children in one home and the other two older children in another. This news seemed to go over better to the family but I observed the second oldest boy, 11 years old, standing quietly while the news was delivered. Then he walked over to the social worker and said, " No, I'll go alone. The younger children need my big brother to look after them".

I had to fight to hold back the tears as this boy bravely stood in the midst of an emotional time and quietly made a decision that would hurt him but benefit the rest of his torn family, positively.

Many things came to my mind as I thought on this later,(contrary to what people say - you can't just leave your job at work), and there are many lessons in the behavior, situation and outcome that could be discussed. For me though two things really stood out. One was that no matter how a family looks on the outside, there is still something that connects them as a 'family'. The second was the inner strength it must have taken for the second oldest boy, even in the stress of the moment, to make a decision based on his family's needs. How blessed we should feel to be part of a family that cares and looks after each others. How blessed we should feel for an extended family of God that looks after each other - though we may not even know each other. And how blessed we should feel for a God who watches over each one of us, unselfishly, who was willing to die on the cross for us even though we were living in the squalor of selfishness. How thankful I am for a group of believers that make decisions to help others, even though at the time it may not appear to be the easiest decision for themselves and may cause personal hardship. HE IS OUR PRESENT HELP IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE. God bless you all dear children of God.