To Save A Life

     I attended a funeral today of a young man in the prime of his life.  15 years old and his life is already over.  From what I've read, it appears as though the kid may have been bullied often at school, and due to the lack of guidance in his life, he succumbed to the cruelties of society and committed suicide.

     This funeral brought my thoughts back to when I was in high school, when in the 9th grade, a kid I went to school with did the same thing.  He was so overcome with the burdens of life; he went to the front steps of the middle school and shot himself.  The principal found him as he came to unlock the school that morning.

   Seems back then, suicide of kids was rare.  Parents actually parented instead of allowing Xbox, PlayStation, WII's, computers, or television to be their babysitter.  Parents appeared to be more in tune with their children because they actually spent more time with their children.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that parents were allowed to discipline their children without fear that the cops would come beating down their door.  Maybe it was because 15-20 years ago, the morals and values of this nation were not in such a decline as they are now.

     Let's face it, children mimic what they see.  Children bully others because it is something that is learned.  They learn these things from society, television, video games, and their parents.  I say parents because parents have the ability to change the games they play, TV. shows they watch, or Internet sites they peruse.  Some unfortunately is learned from the violence in the home that they undoubtedly carry out into the schools.  They see dad knock mom around and somehow think this is an acceptable way of treating others.  Kids become so obsessed with being cool and popular; they don't have a problem being cruel to people to gain that popularity.  The sad thing is, in 5, 10, 15 years, no one will care how popular you were in high school.

     As I sit here and watch the church fill up with some of the children from his school, I wonder how many were part of the bullying, because it’s evident not enough were involved with the prevention, or else we wouldn't be here.  People will drop by the Facebook page dedicated to his memory and leave nice comments.  Some no doubt will have a sense of regret for the things they wish could have been different if only they would have done the right thing and called out the bullies on their behavior. Others will feel a sense of guilt for the part that they played in the bullying.  Sadly, some will not care and will continue their behavior day after day until eventually there is another child who can't handle the bullying.  Hopefully this will be a wakeup call to those bullies showing them the consequences of their actions.

    My question to you is this.  How much time does it take to look beyond ourselves and show kindness to others?  We have the ability to stop these atrocities.  We have the ability to change who we are and how we respond to others.  We have the ability to save a life.  We can all make a difference in someone’s life whether negative or positive.  What difference will you make in someone’s life?  Will you stand proud, stand firm, stand strong with the power and the glory of the Lord by your side and take the first step to save a life?