Articles
A Story with Many Points
A Story with Many Points
Neal Pollard
Several years ago, when preaching in Virginia, I spoke with a sweet, 69-year-old woman who had watched our TV program and wanted to speak to me. During the course of our visit, she told me a story I will never forget. Tearfully, she told me of her 14-year-old grandson, Matthew, who locked himself in his room, took a pistol, put it in his mouth, and pulled the trigger. He was rushed to MCV Hospital in Richmond. He survived, but the bullet was permanently lodged in his sinus cavity and he was in constant, relentless pain. The greatest pain, however, was not physical. It was emotional and spiritual. Matthew's mother and father routinely flew to Las Vegas to gamble, dumping him off with anyone who would take him. They might win a few thousand dollars on some trips, but they invariably lost their winnings and then some. The father had told the son, not long before his suicide attempt, "I wish I'd never set eyes on you!" The boy had told his grandmother, "Nobody loves me." He had also told her, "I want somebody to take me to church." When she offered, he said, "I want my daddy to come and sit beside me." This dear elderly woman lamented that the grandson's parents never showed Matthew love and affection. In the wake of that, a young man with most of life before him, could not bear the thought of continuing one more day in such a topsy, turvy, loveless circumstance.
I felt a flood of emotions: Pity, for the boy; Anger, for the parents; Sympathy, for the grandmother. Upon reflection, there are several lessons to be learned from Matthew's plight.
Bad decisions often carry awful consequences. Matthew learned this by the single squeeze of a trigger. If the parents weren't past feeling, they might see the connection between their selfishness and his anguish (Galatians 6:7-8).
Sin destroys a proper sense of priorities. The parents were, in the grandmother's estimation, greedy and selfish. They put themselves above their responsibility to their son. They made it clear they loved money (1 Timothy 6:10), and they made it clear they did not love their own boy (Ephesians 6:4).
Homes without love crumble. "The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand" (Proverbs 12:7; 14:11). How our homes need to be filled with love! Without it, how many children will feel like Matthew did?
Parents have a vital role to play in the spiritual development of their children. What did Matthew want? His daddy seated next to him "in church." Was that too much to ask? He was hungry for spiritual guidance from his parents. What a challenge! How are we preparing our children in spiritual matters?
There are too many young Matthews, empty inside, unsupported, unloved, and unaided. What condition is our home in? Is sin in the way? We should be careful how we walk in front of our children (Ephesians 5:15). We want them to do more than value their physical life. We want them to pursue and gain eternal life! May God bless us in that needed pursuit.
