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Only 17: Broken Laws--Broken Dreams By Janet Treadway On a cold, wintry day in November of 1993, my daughter and I experienced one of the saddest days of our life together--a day that will be etched in our minds forever.
ust walking into the funeral home and seeing so many teenagers sent a chill through our bodies that matched the cold outside. There must have been at least 200 or more teens in the room. Usually when you see a large gathering of teens it is for a pep rally or party, but not today. They were there to say their final good-bye to their very special friend, Kenny. As my daughter Michelle and I got closer to the coffin, I noticed Kenny's brother, who survived the accident, and two sisters to the right of his coffin. It only took one look at their faces to see their horror and shock of disbelief that this event was really happening, that their brother Kenny was dead and laying in a coffin. As I looked over to the left, there sitting on the front row were his parents. I reached out to hug his parents; I was at a loss for words. What could I say that would take their pain away? There were no words that I could reach for, no magic thing that could be said to make everything seem OK. How do you bury your 17-year-old son? How do you let go, and how do you say good-bye to your precious child? As I looked around the room of sobbing people, old and young, it was clear to me what was going through their minds. The same question was going through mine: Why? Why did this happen to Kenny? He was only 17; he had his whole life ahead of him. Why? Struggling back from tragedy Several months later the question of why surfaced once again at my son David's graduation ceremony. At the ceremony, something happened that brought the whole audience to their feet with resounding applause. The applause was for one of the seniors, Brian, who had been in a serious accident a year earlier that left him unable to walk. Brian was determined to walk once again, so he struggled the whole year for this special night. When Brian's name was announced to receive his diploma, he slowly got up and struggled for a few moments just to get his balance on his crutches. There was dead silence in the audience as he took his first step forward. It was as if we were all afraid that if we made one sound he would come crashing to the floor. The whole audience was drawn in as they watched Brian move slowly forward, as if they were silently yelling, "Come on, Brian, you can make it!" As Brian reached the front of the room, he reached out and took his diploma. The silence was broken as the audience jumped to their feet with resounding applause.
Perhaps it was a miracle for Brian. But it was also short of what he could have had. My thoughts went back to Kenny, whose funeral we had attended only a few months earlier. This would also have been the year that Kenny would have received his diploma. He would never experience the pleasure of walking down and receiving his diploma. The question came to mind once again--why? Why did tragedy strike twice? Why did this have to happen to two teenagers who had their whole lives ahead of them? Kenny's story Kenny grew up with my daughter Michelle. They played together, started their school years together and were best friends. As a teenager, Kenny had a lot of friends. He had a job and a great relationship with his family. His hobby was rebuilding cars with his dad. But one fateful night took that all away.
Kenny had just finished rebuilding a car with his dad and decided to try it out with his brother. As Kenny rounded the curve at 90 miles an hour in a 25-mile zone, he lost control of the car and went over an embankment. The impact from the accident threw Kenny into the river, where he became tangled up in some weeds and soon drowned. Kenny's life was gone, his dreams dashed because of that broken law. Brian's story Brian's story was different but with tragic results as well. Brian attended a different school. He was popular in school, had many friends and was very involved in sports. Brian loved basketball and played on the school team. His dream was to become a basketball star. Another one of his loves was skiing, and he belonged to a ski club.
Brian broke his neck, and the doctors first thought that he would never walk again. Brian struggled with painful therapy for a whole year, not so he would be able to ski or play basketball again, but just so he could take that walk down the aisle to receive his diploma. That ski trip and the decision that Brian made that day changed his life forever. Broken laws, broken dreams Why did these tragedies happen? The answer is that laws were broken that changed their lives and the lives of their families forever. We all tend to think that our lives are indestructible--that we will live forever. We especially think this way when we are young. However, as we get older, experience tells us differently with our frequent visits to the funeral home. The reality that we are only made of dust and will return to dust becomes very clear. Young people love to take chances and believe they can't get hurt. You have heard people say, "It only happens to other people--it won't happen to me" or "I won't get caught--nobody is watching." "So what's the big deal with traffic laws? Everybody breaks them." "What's the big deal with trespassing? I'm not hurting anyone, am I?"
Kenny will never be able to experience the joys that we all take for granted. Brian will live with the effects of that decision he made on the ski trip for the rest of his life. Brian and Kenny are only two examples of the many people who are suffering as a result of broken laws. There are many laws that are put into place by men to protect us and our neighbor from harm, such as speed limits, no drinking while driving and more. There are even greater laws that are commanded by God, for our good. The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, if obeyed, will give us much happiness and peace of mind. God, our loving Father, pleads with us in Deuteronomy 5:29: "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!" Notice what this verse says--that it might be well with you and your children. If we could only realize how frail we are, and see that man's laws, as well as God's laws, are there to protect us, not make life hard for us! Proverbs 3:1 says, "My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you." God tells us that we will have a long and abundant life if we will keep His laws! Brian and Kenny chose to ignore a law and break it. It is too late for them, but not too late for you. Strive to take to heart the importance of keeping God's Ten Commandments and showing respect for man's laws. Understand that they are there for your good. Learn from the tragedies of Kenny and Brian, from the effects that come from broken laws, so your dreams will not be broken. Copyright 2002 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved. |
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