CAS Job Requirenemts

I don’t put my name behind many causes. As I’ve done this, I often wonder if the people in my life think that I am cold. I mean, I don’t copy and paste Facebook comments about cancer, or Earth Day. However I think I finally have a cause to champion.

I think that one of the mandatory requirements for being a Children’s Aid Society worker should be that the individual needs to have successfully raised at least two children to the age of 19. Their children cannot have any criminal record, no past history of open rebellion, or any drug or alcohol addictions. Being an authority on parenting is easy when you don’t have any children.

Before I was a dad, I was sure I had parenting theory all figured out. It wasn’t until I was a father, when I realized that I didn’t really have all of the answers. From time to time, my wife and I come up against obstacles for which we really don’t have it all together. Where do you turn when you don’t have all the answers?

A short while ago, I called up a friend of mine who has raised 3 boys into adulthood. I shared with him some of the struggles I was having with one of my own children. For most of the conversation he just listened. He asked a few questions and shared a few thoughts, but really didn’t have what some people might consider to be ‘the solution’. At the end of our conversation, he offered to pray with me. Before hanging up, he apologized for not being more helpful. I responded by saying,
“Sure, we just walked hand in hand into the Throne room of God, The Supreme Being of the Entire Universe!! No big deal.”

People used to die for that you know. Even though I didn’t get ‘the solution’, I walked away with so much more. What we need in life has very little to do with having the answers. The last thing that I needed was a CAS worker who had all of the government approved solutions, and who was ready to yank my kids from me if I messed up. What I needed was a friend who has gone before me; someone who loves me, someone who loves God and who is concerned about the well being of my family.

So often I find that as believers, if we’re not feeding the poor, saving the lost or providing good answers to spiritual questions, it just doesn’t seem Christian enough. Very little value in our faith seems to be placed on merely being a good friend, a faithful husband or loving Father. I don’t know if the world needs more soup kitchens, more theologians or missionaries, but I do believe that the world needs more fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, neighbours, sons, daughters and friends.

Thank you my friend. You didn’t fix my problem for me. You weren’t supposed to. In fact, you did so much more.