Heritage of Faithfulness
Paul and Zabeth Bayne are people of faith. You do not need to share their faith to appreciate that they are individuals who stand for something in which they believe. When I mention 'belief' I am not now even speaking about their protestation of innocence and their advocacy for justice. I am writing about their personal belief in a supreme being who manifested an earthly presence in the person of Jesus Christ the Son of God. That is formulaic for Christianity. The Baynes are Christian believers. It shouldn’t require an apology. Within our tolerance conscious society we have developed a remarkable ability to accept diverse faith systems yet curiously view Christian devotees as eccentric or odd. You and I both know that this is unreasonable and they deserve the latitude we apportion to others.
To demonstrate to you what I see when I look at the Baynes and to forecast what I believe will be the ultimate outcome of this trial, I will sketch a scenario that Paul and Zabeth do not even want to envision.
I will be glad to put this campaign to bed and that will be when Paul and Zabeth put their three children to bed in their own beds in their own home. That is what I sincerely believe will be the outcome.
If by some horrific stroke of poor judgement, this court ruled against the Baynes and awarded the children to MCFD, here is what I believe will eventually result. If the Baynes never have their children returned to them, setting aside possibilities of further legal pursuits or emotional crashes because of crushing disappointment, here is what I visualize for the Baynes. Paul’s and Zabeth’s faith will not capsize and sink. Paul and Zabeth will work at something that pays the bills but that will not be their compelling reason for living. They will be encouragers to other hurting people, providing references and resources and networking among broken hearted folks. And years will pass and children will mature and become adult. And whether or not in foster or adopted homes they are ever exposed to Christian beliefs, they will want to find Paul and Zabeth. And those children will not be disappointed with what they discover. In fact, what those children will uncover will be all the hopes and dreams that Paul and Zabeth held for their children, the memories of a few fleeting years together long ago, the fire of their devotion to serving others in all the intervening years. They will find that these parents spent their lives cheering on others, encouraging the weary and inspiring people to be true and strong. Those children will find their parents’ footprints so deeply set that following will be easy and desirable. Theirs will be a heritage of faithfulness.
It is because they are this kind of people now, that they should have their children returned to them and they will have their children returned to them.
I can't imagine that the children would not be returned. MCFD is probably trying to think of any way they can keep them, but there will be too much of an outcry. These children must and should be returned.
ReplyDeleteAnd delays are a common tactic of the losing party, trying to buy time. But buying time won't help. There are too many people, all over the world, who are watching this case, very closely.