No Child's Death is in Vain

The most unimaginable thing ever to happen is the loss of a child. I have been blessed to have never had to experience this. It doesn’t matter how the child dies, it has to be devastating to the parents and family members. and friends.

I use to turn the channel when the news came on because I didn’t want to hear anymore negativity. I have turned a new leaf and look at things totally different. I did some serious soul searching and this is the realization that I have come up with. No child dies in vain. This doesn’t have to do with the killer being caught or not. This has to do with the news and newspaper media coverage of that child. If it was a drive by shooting and the child was an innocent child walking down the street or sitting on the couch watching TV and got struck by a stray bullet, it was such a senseless death . Shot by a gang member, but they were not the intended target.What about that child’s dreams and aspirations? What if that child wanted to be a school teacher, a dancer, a doctor, a veterinarian, the president? That boy was good in school and tutored other kids after school and was working on a sports scholarship in football. That child was on the right path. And that was due to the way that he was raised, with the love of his mother, father, and other family members. It was a sad senseless death . Here is when things change, the news coverage of that murder.

The news media reports of how he was excelling in school and all of his/her accomplishments at such a young age and how much he was loved in the community, and how much the parents and family and friends will miss him and how much he was loved. Then the media reports of the senseless death of that boy and how a stray bullet had found its way into their home and into this innocent child. Then they give the detail of the services and the report is over.

This is when I looked behind the scene of the story. You see there might a parent that was watching the story and decided to go into their son’s room while he wasn’t home and snooped to see what he has been up to. The parent did not like his new friends at all and their son’s attitude has changed drastically since meeting them. Or there might be a teenager sitting on the couch that night watching the news and hears a story of a boy his same age that was shot to death by a gang member. And he cries because he has his own dreams but there are gangs in his neighborhood trying to recruit him. He feels so sad for the young man who dies and he thinks about everything that he has accomplished in his life, and where his own life might be headed. His mom comes home from work and she sees the look in his eyes. He decides to sit down and talk to her, he needs to make some changes in his life and he needs her help.

That child’s death sparked something in others. You might not know them but a change is taking place and it is because of them. It’s not about shrugging your head and bowing your head and just thinking “how senseless.” It’s seeing the story and praying for the mother, father, and family and friends and saying their death wasn’t in vain, dear lord may their story reach someone in need to realize that there is so much more to life.

To the trouble teen, you have so much to offer this world, you might not have found out exactly what that is because it takes time. Give yourself a chance to see just how great you truly are! Look at your options closely and then choose wisely. Give yourself a chance at life! You are worth it!

This story is just one scenario; it applies to so many others. If a child was kidnapped the lesson is safety. It might be too late for your child, but so many more are affected by your story. Here’s an example, a baby taken from their own bed at night. It is so sad, so senseless, but there are changes that come about. People lock their doors at night, they install motion detectors, they put in a security system, they have their child’s finger prints taken, the school system only lets a child be released to a person known to the family and a consent form has to be filled out, hospitals changed their policy's on newborns. A tag is put on the baby and mother that identifies them so no mistakes can be made, some have sensors that go off as well. And the most famous change was due to the abduction and death of 9 year old Amber Hagerman, hence the Amber Alert. This is the result of a child that had been taken and never returned home to their parents. That child didn’t die in vain; they helped change the life of others. And with those stories on TV, I say a special prayer to the family and friends of the little child praying they do make it home safely and that someone listening to their story realize that they need to make some changes to their own family’s safety.