Submission by Dr. Glenn Mollette
Find a good word to say about others or don’t say anything. What have you gained when you make a bad comment about someone? Pray for those you are tempted to hate and be kind to them when you have an opportunity. People reap what they sow, and it’s not up to you or me to enact judgment. God is in charge of the universe, and as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “The wheels of God’s justice grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.”
Of course, you call the police if there is a villain in the community. You call 911 if you fear someone is about to carry out evil. You can never be passive. See something, say something is a call to civil action. The consequences of ignoring danger or mental illness often end in death. In our society, we see what one crazy person can do to a school, a college campus, a church, or a city. These acts impact our towns and our world.
Unfortunately, we cannot save everyone, but it’s worth a try. Churches used to have a mission to evangelize everyone in the city with the message of the Bible. Today, many churches are satisfied if a few people show up and keep the church’s bills paid. The highlight of their work is when they can all get together and eat dinner. Dinner is always nice, but our society has too many people totally disconnected from reality and living in isolated depression. These people need to be saved. They need to be saved from their despair, their loneliness, and from becoming resentful toward others who are making a positive impact in the world.
What gets into the mind of a 22-year-old young man that causes him to kill another young man who is dynamic, intelligent, and trying to contribute to society? What happens to a young man who hates his life so much that he decides to end it by killing children at an elementary school or at a church? Sitting at home, staring at a cell phone all day, and fostering a deep resentment toward others is poisonous to the person and to society when the poison is unleashed.
More than ever, schools must encourage participation in activities that help youth feel affirmed, encouraged, and prepared to develop into contributing citizens. Every kid should be required to participate in something. Some schools and churches offer more than others, but we all need to step it up.
When I was a kid, all we had was basketball. For nine years, it was a life-saving routine for me. I had lots of exercise, coaching, and a core group of activity that was meaningful and fulfilling. I also found inclusion and affirmation at church. My local church reached out to me and was very supportive as a teenager. Any kind of sports involvement or church participation for America’s youth is generally life-building during a critical period of formation.
Obviously, it can’t be only sports. Many churches no longer offer much for today’s youth, so it may be music groups, physical education groups, academic societies, homemaking, gardening, fishing, and more. Anything that gives our young people a positive place to be besides being locked up in their rooms staring at their phones.
It will take more than schools and churches. Local civic groups and county or city governments must also be involved. Most importantly, families must work to keep their children out of isolation and despair by helping them discover life-building activities that enable them to grow into positive, contributing citizens. Schools, churches, and communities all have a role to play, but it begins at home. Developing positive people is how we build a positive society.
