The Special Kindness of a Social Worker’s Heart

She’s a faculty member in Cedarville University’s social work program. She works part-time at Crossroad Hospice and Dayton Children’s Hospital.

In the end, however, Melissa Brown is honored to have a front-row seat to the issues facing Americans on a daily basis. These social work situations are not always nice and neat. There’s a lot of baggage and heartache that she views on a regular basis, but this offers the jovial and focused professional the opportunity to interact as a licensed social worker at the most critical times in people’s lives.

As one of four children in her family, Melissa learned from an early age to work together, communicate with family, and embrace the blessings of the Lord. This training ground has proven to be instrumental in her professional career as she teaches future social workers.

One case, in particular, is regularly at the forefront of Melissa’s mind when she’s interacting with clients or teaching her college students. It was when a young child, presumably battling ongoing seizures, was actually physically abused and died from his injuries. It’s a case she can’t get out of her mind, even many years later.

In this case, she goes to one of her favorite Bible verses. Proverbs 15:3, reads, “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere keeping watch over the evil and the good.”

Melissa takes comfort in knowing that while she may not know exactly why this young child died, or who abused him, she knows her heavenly Father knows and will make the situation right. This brings her great comfort, and it helps her to be a better faculty member for her social work students.

“That situation was very troubling for me, but I know that I am not immune to sinful patterns,“ said Melissa. “That could have been me, so I am not in a position of judgment, but rather, in a position of trusting my Savior because He is the ultimate judge.