Justified?

Yesterday, a Texas Supreme Court ruling granted 38 mothers their greatest wish...to have their children returned to them.  I was reading the article in USA Today this morning and I was struck by the feelings that these 38 mothers must have had as they laid their heads on their pillows last night.  We can argue the standards by which these women live as part of the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, but what we cannot argue is their love for their children.  Some may call it misguided, but we cannot lose sight of the fact that they are mothers - mothers who love and would do anything for their children.  The state department of public safety was not able to "meet its burden of proof," so the kids get to go home to their families.

When this story broke, I was not as sympathetic to these mothers as I am today.  I have to admit that I held a pretty pious viewpoint in my righteous judgementalism I harbored for them.  "How could mothers allow their children to be part of something like this?"  "What kind of woman puts up with this?"  While I didn't talk publicly about the situation, I was having quite an angry discussion in my mind.  Today, I am glad that it never went outside my own head.

Since the ranch was raided, I have had some friends who had their son removed from their custody.  While they were still able to see the child, they were not able to be alone with him, or spend the night with him.  I watched as two young parents struggled to fight for their innocence, as "authorities" sorted through various health issues that upon first glance appeared to be abuse.  I saw the pain and the anguish on the young mother's face.  I saw the longing in her eyes to be a family again.  No doubt, I saw a look that has been cast by many, if not every one, of the mothers that had their kids taken away from them.  These were not crack-mothers looking for a fix and abusing their children to get it.  These were not absentee mothers who left their children at home for hours at a time, while they chased careers.  These mothers, whether rightly or not, were religiously committed to their kids.  

Today, I am not defending the polygamy at the ranch, but I am defending the love of the mothers for their kids.  I can't imagine someone coming and taking my kids away from me because they think that my way of loving/parenting my kids is wrong.  I hope that the mothers can put aside the anger for a few minutes and completely embrace their 126 kids that they are getting back.  Different circumstances, for sure, but it reminds me of a story of reunion in the bible where a son and a father are reconnected...oh the love!