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Devotion A Kind Word An anxious heart weighs a man [or woman] down, but a kind word cheers him up" Proverbs 12:25 NIV Teen Pleads Guilty" read the front-page headline of our small-town newspaper. I read further to see if I recognized the name of this particular teen. Sure enough I did - not the name of a known problem-child - but the name of a minister's son. The article went on to say that the teen had been caught putting a controlled substance in the salsa at a restaurant where he worked. The article assured readers that the salsa hadn't actually been served to patrons, and the boy was quoted as explaining that he was just playing a prank. I could imagine him laughing at his big joke as he sprinkled on the oregano-like particles, but this big joke had a stiff fine and possible prison sentence attached to it. Oh, God, I thought, it's bad enough that he did this, but so much worse now that it is being broadcast to the entire community in print. I cringed for his parents' sake and recalled that recently I had seen his mom in the office where she works. I bet that although everyone knows about the problem this family is dealing with, few will acknowledge it to her, I mused. What can anyone say anyway? I thought back to the darkest days of my own life (when my husband became physically abusive and during the subsequent divorce) and I remembered the wall of silence "friends" put up around me. Stiff, sore, and anti-social, I still longed for the warm breath of human contact. A simple phone call or a a caring note would have helped me endure the day. Their silence magnified the pain lodged in my chest. I have often looked at the myriad racks of greeting cards in the stores and noted that there are no cards to acknowledge many tough times people experience. To be sure, death or illness can bring a multitude of sincere cards to your mailbox; however, no greeting card ever addresses any issue of shame, those issues that make us feel like we are society's misfits. Cards never read:
Holding the newspaper article in my hand, I wanted to take a pin and poke a hole in the bubble of isolation and pain this teen's mom may be feeling, so I took a chance and wrote her a brief letter. Among other things it said, " All kids do stupid things. Mine sure have. We parents are all in this war together, not a war against our children, but a war against this ungodly world where we are trying to rear them. When I go through difficult times with my children, I remember what an older, wiser mother told me: keep loving the child and keep trusting God. I know you are doing exactly that. My prayers are with you." Did the letter make her mad or glad? I don't know. All I do know is that I couldn't remain silent because I know the pain silence inflicts. The words I choose might be bumbling and uncertain, but no words at all would be a poorer choice still. Sandy Fiedler is a freelance Christian writer. She lives in Texas with her husband and 16-year-old daughter. The rest of her children are grown. She is a former high school English teacher; however, she has been homeschooling her daughter for the past two and on-half years. Her articles have been accepted by Lutheran Woman Today, Angels on Earth, Wesleyan Woman, and Single-Parent Family. You can email Sandy at: quietday@flash.net
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