Monday, December 31, 2012

Life As a Social Worker (Part 2)


Now that I have explained my faith, I can explain how I view my job as a social worker a little bit better.

When I think about my job, a million and one things start rolling around in my head. To help with understanding, I have organized my thoughts about my job into some recurring themes.

1)   I could not do this job if I were not a believer.

The biggest thing I have learned in this job is that I could not function one single day as a social worker if I did not believe in Jesus Christ as my savior. On a daily basis as a social worker, you are asked to make huge decisions for families and often in high pressure and stressful environments. You have to make decisions fast and sometimes you wonder if those decisions are the best for families. The Lord has taught me something invaluable at this job: I am not big enough to mess up another’s life. I used to go home at the end of the day and really think about things and mull over situations in my head, wondering if I have done something wrong for a family and made the wrong choice. In the end, the Lord has shown me that he is the author of all and the King of the universe. The Lord is a God of big details and small and nothing goes unnoticed by him. The Lord has taught me that he has a plan for each of my families, and that I am not big enough to mess that plan up. My life and this world are all for his glory anyways. This does not take away the responsibility of me doing the absolute best I can for my families, but I have found that I am able to give to the Lord the burden of wondering if I have done something wrong. I can’t mess up a decision: the Lord has it under control.

2)   I have to remember that I am working with extreme cases, and see it as a ministry.

Working for OCS, our department get thousands of reports of abuse or harm on a child per year. Those reports get investigated and when absolutely necessary, a child is taken out of his or her parent’s home. I have come to know and try to remember that I am working with extreme cases. I have to remind myself that there are good, loving, and wonderful parents out there who care about their children and also remember that I serve a loving Father in heaven. Most often, I am working with parents who have mental health issues or substance abuse addiction (drugs or alcohol). I look on my families with compassion because I realize Satan has a grip on them. Addiction is powerful, and I know that the “case plans” I develop are not what will really help my families. What they need is the gospel. I see my job as a ministry: I want to show as much love, hope, joy, and compassion as I can to them because I want them to see Christ in me. Working for the state limits my ability to share the gospel in words, but I want the way that I treat my families to make a difference for eternity. I find myself praying for them as I talk to them, asking God to save them. Prayer has also helped me find peace in some very crazy situations. “God is our refuge and strength, a VERY PRESENT HELP in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 This is truth.

3)   I have to separate work in my mind.

Something that has helped me in this job is taking steps to really separate my work life from my personal life. It is extremely necessary in this job. I do not think I would have made it this long in the job if I weren’t for the ability to separate work and personal. This job is demanding: you can never, ever do enough in this job. You will never get everything done that you want to. A common problem I see in my job is that caseworkers are given an extremely high number of cases. Because of this, I struggle to find the time I need to devote to each family which adds worry and stress to my job as I want to provide the best possible service I can to families. I have had to develop the ability to take lunches, leave work at 4:30 PM and not work overtime if I can help it, and take vacations. You have to give your body, soul, and mind the opportunity to rest because this job demands everything from you: emotionally, mentally, physically. It is very taxing and breaks are much needed.

4)   This job has stirred in me a heart for foster care and adoption.

I believe that one reason the Lord has me in this job is that he is preparing in me what he wants to use me for in the future: foster care and adoption. I know that because I have been a social worker and seen what happens behind the scenes, I will be better prepared as a foster parent and adoptive parent. Tony and I have talked about potentially fostering and adopting in the future and we both feel the Lord calling us to that ministry. I believe that more Christian families should adopt. Adoption is a picture of the gospel: by no merit or working of our own, we were chosen by the Lord to become his children. It is a beautiful picture: children need families that can love, cherish, and keep them safe.

“For he chose us in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” Ephesians 1:4-5

I encourage you to consider foster care and adoption. This is true in my job: there are not enough families for children who need safe homes. All you need is a heart for kids. I can’t wait for the day that Tony and I can invite a little child into our home who needs a family.

5)   I find that my biggest frustrations are not with my families, but when the government system fails.

You may think that the hardest part about my job would be the cases I get: stories of abuse and neglect and broken families. This IS a very difficult part of my job. Often times, my families are very hostile to me and do not want to admit that they have a problem. It is heartbreaking to see parents who do no want to parent and may say they love their children, but put their addiction first. However, to me, this has not been among my biggest frustrations. Because I know the gospel, I feel compassion towards my parents. They are lost and in need of Christ. To me, what has been frustrating is when the system fails. Let me explain further. So, I am asked to write a case plan for each of my families. Part of my job is to develop a case plan that works for my families to get them to the point where they can be safe families. A difficult part is that I have to balance between what works for the families and what the court/ attorneys ask me to put in case plans to ensure families are safe. For example, often, we ask our families to go to treatment for their addictions. Treatment can be thousands of dollars. Families can choose to try other (cheaper) methods of treatment but often times they do not work. Paperwork also frustrates me in this job. It is a huge piece of this job and necessary, but often times documentation and administrative work takes away from the time I could be spending with my families. As a dreamer and creative solution seeker, I try to find the best possible solutions for my families but sometimes I do feel that what the system requires of me can get in the way of my case planning with families.

6)   We are all sinners and none more righteous than another.

This job has shown me how broken the world is. It is definitely a wake up call job. I have seen horrific situations and tragic things happen to children. It is easy to blame parents. Often times, however, I have seen that my parents come from homes where they were in foster care themselves because their families could not safely care for them. There is this perpetual generational sin that I see happens. Alcoholism and drug addiction are passed down from one generation to another and children never get to see parenting as it should be. I have had to realize over and over again that sin is sin and we are all sinners. I am no better than my families who have abused or neglected children. We all desperately need Christ. No one is more righteous than another. This leads me to act compassionately towards my families.

7)   I know the Lord has me here for a reason.

This is a lesson I am taught every day. I see that the Lord has put me in this job for a reason. There are days where people will cuss at me or yell at me. There are days where my families will cry, ask desperately for help, or plead with me. Every single day is an opportunity to heap endless love, grace, and forgiveness on broken and lost people. My families come to me humbled. To get to a point where your children have to be taken away is humiliating. I know the Lord is using me. My families come to me when they are homeless, hurting, addicted, broken down, beat up, and filled with fear and anxiety. What I can offer them is Christ. I aim to treat my families with a forgiving and loving attitude. In the end, we are all in desperate need of a Savior. I cannot save them, but I can show them through my actions and compassionate heart that there is more to this world than the life they have lived without a Savior.

These points sum up my biggest views about my job. There is so much more to talk about, but I find myself dwelling on these thoughts most often. Thank you for taking the time to read the musings of a social worker driven by Christ. I pray my writings point to His saving grace.
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