Why Bad Things Happen To Good People (Part 6)

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." ~ Proverbs 22:6

A couple of weeks ago, a 32-year old woman was killed in Charlottesville when a white supremacist drove a car into a crowd of innocent people. The man was identified as James Alex Fields Jr., a 20 year old from Ohio. A local affiliate was able to talk to Fields' mother, Samantha Bloom, who had the following things to say:

• Her son texted her Friday [the day before] to say he had dropped his cat off at her Monclova Township apartment so he could go to an “alt-right” rally in Virginia.
• “I told him to be careful,” Ms. Bloom said. “[And] if they’re going to rally to make sure he’s doing it peacefully.”
• He had told her about the rally last week, but didn’t offer details about its extremist nature.“I thought it had something to do with Trump,” she said. “I try to stay out of his political views. I don’t get too involved.”
• She said he had moved out of her apartment “five or six months ago” to his own Maumee apartment, but she declined to give the address. Ms. Bloom said they moved to northwest Ohio from Florence, Kentucky, about a year ago for her job.

A few things to think about from these statements:

1. Time: The mother had time to train up her son. Fields was 20 years old and lived with his mother up until 5 or 6 months ago. He had been under her roof for at least 19 years and 6 months. 
2. Knowledge: The mother had knowledge that her son was going astray. She said that she knew he was going to an alt-right rally, but didn't know the extreme nature of the rally. Was she living under a rock? Was she in denial? Or was she simply lying to the reporter she spoke to? Either way, the mother knew of her son's views.
3. Opportunity: The mother had the opportunity to train up her son. She told reporters that she tried to "stay out of his political views and doesn't get too involved." Time and knowledge gave her opportunity to correct her son, but she simply chose not to. 

It's funny how parents often to try to skirt their responsibilities when it comes to their kids. Yes, this man was officially an adult and ultimately responsible for his own actions. But he was just 20 years old and lived under his mother's roof for the majority of his life. She had influence with him, but admittedly chose not to use that influence.

This is not to solely blame the mother for what happened to the 32-year old woman that was killed. Certainly, his father's presence (or lack thereof) played a role. Certainly, there were other factors that contributed to the extremist nature of her son's views and actions. But each of us has influence over those around us, and we can either: (a) use that influence to create good in the world, (b) ignore that influence and let something or someone else fill the vacuum, or (c) use that influence to create evil in the world.

In the end, the Bible holds parents responsible for training up their children. Bad things happen to good people when we don't.

God bless,
J.W.