by Violet Rebecca Jones
My local news station ran a story about a woman who was arrested because she had run out of food for her children and her food stamps wouldn't be renewed for two weeks, the electricity had been disconnected, and the washing machine was broken, so she was washing clothes in the bathtub. The children were placed in foster care, and she was placed in jail for child neglect. She is a single mother with four children one year to seven in age. There were so many people who made comments on the news station's website about how horrible she is. What I see is a very sad situation.
My heart goes out to this woman and her children. Yes, of course, the children should be placed in foster care until the mother gets on her feet. They need food, shelter, and care. However, I fail to see how arresting this woman is going to help her, or how it is going to solve the problem. I keep thinking, " Where is the father in all this? Isn't he just as neglectful as she?" I also keep thinking about where local churches, neighbors, etc. are in this situation? Doesn't the Bible state that we are our brother's keeper? Don't we, as human beings, owe our fellow men, or women, help when they are down?
Anyone can end up in poverty. Things can happen that strip us of our money, our resources. We can lose our jobs, our health, our family support. Does this mean that when we face hard times, we not only must suffer financially, but we must also worry about the possibility of going to jail? So often in our society, we pay lip service to helping others, but how often do we actually do something that is constructive? It seems that only those things that gain public recognition for people get support. Charity events that get one's picture in the paper, or that advertise some company sponsor have their own rewards. What about rewards that only God can give? What about doing things for others when they don't stand out, when they aren't advertised?
If everyone in this woman's community had given just one dollar, fifty cents, or even twenty-five cents, perhaps there could have been some food on the table, electricity in her home. What if someone had simply offered babysitting services while she looked for a job or worked? What if someone had offered to fix her washing machine? Perhaps just letting her know she wasn't alone would have given her hope, kept her from being overwhelmed. Sometimes we just need to know that we are not alone in our troubles. Those who have family, money, and resources often forget how hard it is to be alone and poor.
Copyright 2014 Violet Rebecca Jones
My local news station ran a story about a woman who was arrested because she had run out of food for her children and her food stamps wouldn't be renewed for two weeks, the electricity had been disconnected, and the washing machine was broken, so she was washing clothes in the bathtub. The children were placed in foster care, and she was placed in jail for child neglect. She is a single mother with four children one year to seven in age. There were so many people who made comments on the news station's website about how horrible she is. What I see is a very sad situation.
My heart goes out to this woman and her children. Yes, of course, the children should be placed in foster care until the mother gets on her feet. They need food, shelter, and care. However, I fail to see how arresting this woman is going to help her, or how it is going to solve the problem. I keep thinking, " Where is the father in all this? Isn't he just as neglectful as she?" I also keep thinking about where local churches, neighbors, etc. are in this situation? Doesn't the Bible state that we are our brother's keeper? Don't we, as human beings, owe our fellow men, or women, help when they are down?
Anyone can end up in poverty. Things can happen that strip us of our money, our resources. We can lose our jobs, our health, our family support. Does this mean that when we face hard times, we not only must suffer financially, but we must also worry about the possibility of going to jail? So often in our society, we pay lip service to helping others, but how often do we actually do something that is constructive? It seems that only those things that gain public recognition for people get support. Charity events that get one's picture in the paper, or that advertise some company sponsor have their own rewards. What about rewards that only God can give? What about doing things for others when they don't stand out, when they aren't advertised?
If everyone in this woman's community had given just one dollar, fifty cents, or even twenty-five cents, perhaps there could have been some food on the table, electricity in her home. What if someone had simply offered babysitting services while she looked for a job or worked? What if someone had offered to fix her washing machine? Perhaps just letting her know she wasn't alone would have given her hope, kept her from being overwhelmed. Sometimes we just need to know that we are not alone in our troubles. Those who have family, money, and resources often forget how hard it is to be alone and poor.
Copyright 2014 Violet Rebecca Jones
