Featured Story
By John Dunstan, chaplain
What is Success?
I sometimes get the question from people learning about Hillview as to how we measure success. One could say that success is measured by a child’s behavior. However, our philosophy at Hillview challenges us to side step behavior and to look at the hearts of the kids we care for and of those doing the caring. My definition of success asks the question, “Is a child being loved?” If the answer is yes, then success is obtained.
I recently received the privilege of talking with a young lady who was a child at Hillview a number of years ago. I didn’t work directly with her, but was working directly with kids in another cottage at the time. This girl asked me if we still do things at Hillview the same way. I had an idea of what she was getting at, but inquired further as to what meant. She explained that the staff at Hillview treated the kids here differently than they do at other group homes (and she’s lived in her share of group homes to know). Her answer reflected the fact that she felt valued and cared for while at Hillview due to the love her staff shared with her.
In further discussion, this pleasant, young girl confessed to me she knew she wasn’t the easiest kid to care for while she was here. I didn’t dwell on whatever her behavior may have looked like, but the truth is: she was a tough kid who caused her staff a lot of grief. I’m sure when this girl left Hillview her staff wondered what impact (if any) they made in her life. If you would have measured success for this circumstance according to behavior, honestly, success would not have been achieved as negative behavior was often expressed by the girl still at the time of her leaving.
However, five years or so down the road as I sat in conversation across from this much more self-aware and much changed girl (she told me she’s not “like she used to be”), I realized her time at Hillview was an utterly joyous success; she was loved, and she knew it and stills knows it today!
We may not know exactly how God is using us in life, but I have faith that if we are following Him in loving others well, we are successful and He is receiving glory.