the broken and hurting

I read this child abuse story, compiled by the BBC: America's child death shame. It's worth a look.

Have you ever met an abused child? Probably, but you may not have known it. I got the privilege (and scare/responsibility) of regularly being in some of their homes at my last job- all children under 3 who were being served by Child Protective Services (CPS) were *supposed to be* automatically referred for developmental evaluation by the agency I worked for. I got to see their homes, their lives, the joys and the dangers. Whether it was their parents' home, grandparents' place, foster parents' care- I got to see the range. The beaten. The neglected. The violated. The drug babies. I love them all.

I had a lot of frustration and anger towards CPS. I saw lots of kids slip through cracks and disappear back into their broken worlds- it's truly a broken system. I could tell some seriously disturbing stories, but I'm choosing to err on the side of caution to avoid sharing more than I am legally or ethically aloud. Time and again I saw kids go back into really terrible situations because their caseworker(s) had let a timeline slip by, or had failed to do a thorough investigation, or the rules simply didn't acknowledge the danger of their findings. Though CPS is filled with what I assume are well-intentioned people, time and again the over-worked, underpaid people sifting the bureaucracy are often in for a losing battle. Jesus has been working on my heart to make me less angry and more compassionate in regards to this agency- I definitely would not be able to do that job while maintaining any level of sanity.

Are there more severe injustices around the world, not just the U.S.? Surely. Should you turn a blind eye? No. It may make you more comfortable, less worried, etc. to turn a blind eye... but it perpetuates the problem.

How do I view social justice, such as this, in light of being a Christian? I know we are sinful people at our core, and thus injustice will happen. I also know the only lasting solution to this problem is the return of Jesus, when He will make everything sad untrue and no sickness or hurt will remain. I know the only solution to change how people act here and now is the transforming knowledge of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray in light of these things. I act in hope of reflecting the beauty of the gospel to others that they might know and be changed by it.


Things you can do:
-Pray. Pray like crazy for the kids, their caregivers, and reform in the system. Your prayer (or lack thereof) reflects your level of discontent (or contentedness) with the status quo in a broken world.
-Get informed. Inform others. Maybe you can start here.
-Advocate: write your congressman and state representatives (you get an awkward, politically correct letter in response... surely written by some intern)
-Do something. Spend time with some foster kids, and love them like crazy (even when they're the crazy ones). Hear their stories. Raise support for agencies that aim to help. Thank a foster parent.
-Speak truth. Namely, trust that the gospel is powerful. Know its beauty intimately. Speak what hope it holds for the hurting and broken, the angry and bitter, the poor and lost... just like you.