Beating the drum slowly…A baby’s death in Oakdale

A story ran as headlines throughout last week about a 16 year old girl who gave birth to a baby; she stabbed the baby over 100 times and disposed of the baby in a trash can. We were outraged. We shook our heads in disgust, and said isn’t this sad. Yes, it’s easy to point the finger in a case like this; what she did is wrong, it’s unconscionable but I ask: “Why was this girl so hopeless? Why was she so afraid and lonely? Why was she so isolated that she talked to no one? Why was she so angry that she stabbed the baby over 100 times?”

As a professing Christian, I must ask myself: “Why didn’t she know the hope and love of Christ? Why didn’t someone notice this girl, have some type of relationship with her so she would be able to talk to someone she trusted? What is she angry at?”

If she was our neighbor, would we get involved in her life? If not, why? May I suggest we would not because we don’t care? Some of you may feel old Beef here is a negative old coot. I may be, but when are we going to pull our collective heads out of the sand and care about girls like this? I think I know the answer; do you really want to hear it? We will pull our head out of the sand when the girl who does this is our daughter, our neighbor or our grandchild. We will pull our heads out of the sand when it is too late. Just like the people of Oakdale.

God’s love for us should motivate us to take the message of the hope of Christ, the love of Christ, the care of Christ to a hurting world—to people like this young 16 year old girl in Oakdale. Jesus told us to go so let’s go and do.

Let’s quit playing games. Let’s be Christ to our corner of the world. Let’s show compassion where none exists. Let’s forgive when no forgiveness exists. Let’s light our light in the darkest hour. Let’s die to ourselves like Christ died. Let’s sacrifice our comfort, pride, our self-centered isolated life style, and lay them at the foot of the cross. The world is hurting and the love of Christ is the only hope. Go, go, go! Go and Do! Let’s live for Jesus. Amen.