At ease in Zion

I can’t help thinking of a story Mom told me yesterday about a family that was broken up by DCFS because the parents were clearly overwhelmed and under-resourced. The DCFS action was almost certainly necessary at this point but there should have been intervention earlier when it may not have needed to be so drastic. The thing that I can’t help thinking is in response to neighbors who talked about how nice this family was at church which tells me there was a ward around them who absolutely failed to notice anything amiss. I’m not trying to blame the ward per se but this is a case of being at ease in Zion.

There is no way that the behavioral issues in that family were not noticeable in church. There is no way that the financial situation of that family was entirely hidden. But clearly none of those who saw any of the hints and signs decided to really engage the family and understand the true conditions and seek sufficient help to prevent this tragedy. It’s like a more extreme version of what our family has been through and I know what it’s like to feel like there is no way anyone can help and that nobody actually recognizes the depth of need.