"Grace for the Village People" by Tiff

This is an essay about how I deal with where I work. At first glance at the title, you may think my clientele are a bunch of old people who wear plaid and leather, refusing to give up their glory days of disco dancing. But for those of you who do not know, the place I work, Boys’ Village, is actually a treatment facility that treats adolescent male sex offenders (juveniles). Some people might think of my job as taking a risk, a waste of time, or simply a bad resume builder. Some would even go as far to say that working with these kids is inhumane and sickening. In other words, not a job one would say...when I grow up I want to be a child care worker.”

However, I choose to see my job as a responsibility and an opportunity to reach out in a unique way. No day is the same at Boys’ Village. Each day brings new challenges and obstacles. Especially when you are a young female working with high levels of testosterone! Although I have to say that boys are easier to work with than girls…trust me!

Everyday I go into work I wonder what obstacles I’m going to face, whether it be just a petty argument or a full out fight that I have to breakup by restraining one of the boys. Although it is not the perfect job (what job is?), I choose to go into work everyday realizing that I have an opportunity to change the young criminal minds before they become REAL criminals. I try to see my job as a privilege to work with these mentally challenged kids because I have the opportunity to teach them something valuable that they may not have learned elsewhere. Many of these kids come from broken families and have been abused themselves. In fact, one becomes a sex offender because they have been offended first. Sad, but true. This is reality folks.

Here’s some disturbing stats for ya to ponder…
- One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before reaching age 18.
- One in five children is sexually solicited while on the Internet.
- Less than one in 10 children will tell.
- An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse live in America.
*Statistics from the Akron Beacon Journal, “Abuse of Daughter Spurs Woman to Act,” September 7, 2005.

So what you may say, this is our world today. Whether we realize it or not, we have some control in this. As Dan said in his last writing, we have a choice – we can sit back and watch people fall through the cracks or we can build a relationship and mentor them. I am choosing the difficult path, facing my fears, and going against reason to make a difference and to give grace to these troubled boys. Most people would say they don’t deserve it, but did we Christians deserve the Grace Jesus so abundantly gave us? Check out Matthew 18:23-35 (The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant) and ask yourself what it means to be a good steward of His grace. This is why I go to Boys’ Village everyday.

Let me hear what you think. What does it mean to be a steward of grace? Is it right to hold a society accountable for the problems of individuals therein? In what ways are each of you out there showing grace to others?