The Growth From Hell

Early in my counselling career I did some work for Mobile Crisis Intervention. It’s a mobile unit that handles the grittiest and most desperate situations, usually in the inner city. We were called to a house where the parents hadn’t been seen for a couple days. There were small children known to be in the home.

Upon our arriving at the house, a child who appeared to be about 4-years-old opened the door to us. He said that his mom and her boyfriend had indeed been gone “since tomorrow.” He let us in and we began to look around as we asked questions of the little one. The fridge door was wide open and next to nothing in the fridge. Spilled cereal lie on the table and floor where the little boy had been feeding himself. A jar of jam was on the floor, as well as an empty bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken - and then -

“Rod, come here!” from the woman who’d gone out on the call with me. She was standing just outside an unlit bedroom. The smell of poo was really strong.

“There’s a baby asleep on the bed in there, with a growth from hell on it’s abdomen.”

My partner asked the little boy if the baby (perhaps 2-years-old and wearing only a diaper) was alright.

“Sure. She’s just sleeping.”

“The lump on her tummy. Can we touch it?”

“Sure. It’s just a piece of K Fry chicken. I put it there in case she’s hungry when she wakes up.”

After my partner and I were done laughing at each other, Social Services was called and the children were apprehended. I don’t know when or if the mom and her boyfriend ever came home but this leads me to the point of this post.

The headline in this morning’s paper was, “Too Many Children in Foster Care.”
The content of the story - Too many children in this Province are being apprehended.

Did you get that? Too many children are being apprehended.

It’s NOT - There are too many homes that are unfit for raising children. It’s that too many children are being taken out of unfit homes. That means that the standards will be changed so that more children will be left in unfit homes.

That’s what humans do, you know.
. Too many divorces? Don’t do anything about the state of marriage. Instead, tell people that divorce is actually a good thing.

. Too many people screwing strangers? Don’t do anything about our moral state. Instead, say that what we do in the privacy of our homes is nobody’s business but our own.

. Too many people abusing drugs? Don’t do anything about our desperate mental / spiritual state which drives the demand for mood altering chemicals. Legalise drugs and make them more accessible instead.

. Too many people sodomizing? Hold parades to celebrate sodomy.

. Too many people with STD's? Don't EVER suggest that we shouldn't be screwing strangers. Instead, invent medicines to reduce the symptoms of STD's.

. Too many children coming into care? Don’t do something to increase the spiritual health of parents or to ensure that there are a mom and dad present. Instead, change the definition of "good enough" parenting. For example, maybe dirty needles lying on the kitchen table isn’t that big a deal. Maybe watching dad beat the crap out of mom shouldn’t be any body else’s business. Maybe mom and her boyfriend not coming home every day can be adapted to. After all what is childhood about if not learning to look after yourself?

Do I sound angry? Ya, just a little. And you know who I’m angry at?

Christians - that’s who.

There are enough people on this continent calling themselves evangelical Christians to look after every single kid who needs a home 10 times over. And instead of that happening, instead of caring for those who need safety and love, standards are going to be changed so that more and more children are going to be left in homes with adults who are unfit to look after those children.

“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat.
I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink.
I was a stranger and you invited Me in.
I needed clothes and you clothed Me.
I was sick and you looked after Me.
I was in prison and you visited Me.”

The growth from hell, in our society is sin which in broad terms can be defined as corrupt self-love, where we look after ourselves and ignore those in need. We are at a stage in society where for many if not most of those who call themselves Christians, their motives and goals and priorities for living are identical to those in the secular world. Jesus says there’s going to be hell to pay for those who ignore the needy.
Matthew 25:41-46