faith unfaded

A tragic news story came out this past weekend about a beloved teacher accidentally killed after a prank went horribly wrong.

The details are everywhere — but this isn’t a news report. The media has gone in a million different directions anyway.

The teens — including the 18-year-old driver — had been rolling their teacher’s house. Toilet papering was something my friends and I used to do to our favorite teachers. As the teacher came out, the kids jumped in their cars and sped off, not noticing that the teacher had slipped and fallen onto the road. The laughter stopped as they got out — horrified — and provided aid, staying with him until paramedics arrived. He didn’t make it.

The teen — legally an adult — was charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and criminal trespassing. (The other four students were charged with criminal trespassing as well.)

Perhaps it’s because I’d been working on chapters from my own teen years. Perhaps it’s because I’d had my own teen son. But my heart broke for the young man — and his mother.

I know there’s a need for accountability. But — for once — I was in agreement with the majority of social media users who thought the punishment was excessive.

I took offense to the news outlets who scoured the young man’s social media pages and made claims of his ‘eerie’ and ‘cryptic’ posts. The posts in question? Bible verses. The other students had their social media profiles pilfered for profit. Their Christian beliefs were being used as ammo against them.

I did the only thing I knew to do: I prayed.

These news stories weren’t the norm, but I know how hard it is to hear others call you delusional because of your faith. And these young people are now under a microscope.

I don’t know what will happen. I don’t know what should happen. I wondered what the man’s wife thought.

I didn’t have to wonder for long. Also a teacher at the same school, she released a public statement. She asked for grace and mercy to be given to the students. She called for all the charges to be dropped. She doesn’t believe their lives should be ruined.

I believe the DA’s office should consider her wishes.

I also believe we should pray for all involved. We have all been but one careless decision away from tragedies ourselves.