Saturday, June 4, 2011

Mothers As Murderers?

The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him.’” -- Leviticus 20:1-2

The news was horrific. A mother charged with murdering her 11-year-old son and attempting to murder her 15-year-old son. I’m sure the coming days will reveal more information. Police will search for a motive. Family, friends and neighbors will be shocked.

We all are shocked. We’ve seen this scenario played out in the media too many times in recent years. Mothers are supposed to love and protect their children. Not kill them. It’s beyond comprehension because we assume all mothers -- and fathers -- love their children and that’s just not the case.

We don’t look for it because we can’t wrap our minds around that type of horror. Talk to somebody with child protective services. I’m sure they could tell you a few stories. Assumptions are frequently wrong. And by not opening our eyes, by refusing to see what is sometimes in front of us, we may miss crucial warning signs that could save a child’s life.

We want to believe that parents we know would never harm their children. We go to church with them, see them at school functions, maybe even work with them. They live across the street or play golf at the same club. They’re like us. Except they’re not.

News Flash: Parents don’t always love their children. It doesn’t matter who they are in the community, where they live, what kind of car they drive or whether you like them or not. Otherwise good people sometimes really should never have had children.

I can’t imagine how this young survivor will cope in the coming days and months. It’s not just that he lost his brother. Or that he’s battling his own injuries. It’s learning to accept that the person who should have loved him most in this world is the person who tried to end his life. How do you trust after that?

You turn to God. I pray that young man is surrounded by people who will help him rely on God’s strength and wisdom to navigate this horrible journey. It’s the only thing that will keep him sane and lead him to some measure of peace with circumstances he couldn’t control and can never change.