From the first time I heard about Teddy's death, a movement in my
soul captured me. This has been a journey. I wanted to post this again
near the anniversary of the shootings at Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
Many more shootings have occurred this year. Many more kids have been
killed due to abuse. Become aware,pay attention and reach out to that
kid you know is acting differently this year. Defiant, moody, withdrawn
are some symptoms that signal abuse. Pay attention. All our children are
precious.
http://teddyslaw.org/our-mission/http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/jan/31/community-stands-vigil-murdered-struthers-teen/?nwhttp://sharonherald.com/local/x1303535632/Ohio-pair-facing-charges-in-13-year-old-boys-deathhttp://www.vindy.com/news/2013/jan/31/what-happened-teddy/
This
is a controversial post, not for the squeamish. It lays heavy on my
heart. Teddy woke me up this morning. I wanted to write last night, but I
was too disturbed by the story and I got other bad news about a friend.
I am a Christian and conservative, so my thoughts on solutions may not
be yours. I make no excuses for what I am. I don't want to inflame, but I
feel I need to write for the Teddy's in our country.
I heard this
story first on the radio, as I was driving. Immediately, sickness
overtook me. Then I saw Teddy's picture last night in the Vindicator out
of Youngstown. Just over the line in Struthers. I've had patients on
Creed Street, I know the area.
Harm can happen anywhere. In the
print paper, the article on the right side reported on Brother Steven,
an athletic instructor at a Catholic high school in Warren, accused of
sexually molesting boys. He killed himself on Saturday. This sickens and
saddens me, as well.
A line from the story on Teddy, is the
ex-boyfriend's unemployment ran out two weeks ago. Now I get
controversial. Men need to work. Young men. The man accused is forty
three. The scenario in my mind, is he's bored, frustrated, agitated,
taking it out on this innocent young boy. Teddy also has ten year old
twin brothers. They are in protective custody.
The mother of the
boys, isolated them from their natural father. (Who happens to live in
Sharon). I see a desperate woman wanting any kind of attention and
"love." Although, the accused is an ex-boyfriend. Is she so tired from
the responsibilities of single motherhood and did not know where to get
help? Does she work? Need free babysitting? I don't know these answers
now. I'll find out more as the case unfolds and I read the comments of
the neighbors.
How often are there Teddy's next door and we don't
have a clue? Although, this woman was investigated often. She punished
the children by throwing their toys out in the front yard when they told
her about the abuse. She said they were lying. She pulled the boys out
of school in October.
Evil is everywhere. All have sinned and
fallen short of the glory of God. Like the Sandy Hook shootings, this is
shocking because it happened in small town America and involved
children. In this case, only one boy was killed, suffering over years,
and no gun was used.
Do we need a change of heart in this country?
Do we need Jesus? Do we need a revival? For the Teddy's, I say we do.
This has driven me to my knees and I hope my Christian readers will also
be so moved. God is weeping for our disobedience, our hard hearts, our
thumbing our noses at him. I'm reading I Timothy. The law is not for
those who do good, but those who murder their father or mother or other
people. The laws are for those people who are sexually immoral.
No comments:
Post a Comment