Tuesday, September 17, 2013

A Selfish Decision

Late Sunday night, one of my favorite people and her boyfriend lost a family member to a drunk driver who got behind the wheel and hit another car. A selfish drunk driver that will forever be a part of their life now. And a selfish drunk driver who took away the life of a 26 year old.

When you drink and drive, you invoke your right to make poor decision, but you also take away everyone else's rights that are on that road with you. You're suddenly calling the shots for everyone else and that is just not fair. Why is it so hard to call a cab? Call a friend? Call your parents, even if you are an adult? Is your pride and convenience worth someone else's life?

This selfish driver has taken away a fiancé, a young father with a baby, a son, a brother, and a friend. No convictions, no sentences, no amount of remorse or regret will bring him back. One poor decision has cost an entire family. My heart is broken for my friends that loved him dearly. I hate that there is nothing you can say in times like this that can take away an ounce of pain. All we can do is help them carry the pain in some small way and lift them up in prayer when every other action seems trivial in light of such loss and such pain.

So today I pray for Steve's family. I pray for peace when I'm sure it feels so very far away. I pray for strength when this loss seems crushing. I pray that our Lord holds them up when they cannot take another step. I pray that his legacy will live on in his 10 month old son. And I pray that their memories of their brother, son, father and fiancé, bring them a sliver of sunshine in a very dark time.

And for my friend who is also suffering from this loss while trying to be a source of support and strength for her boyfriend as he faces what no one should have to face, I pray that the Lord gives her comforting words to share when they're needed. I pray for the wisdom for her to know when silence and just being there is more precious than trying to find those words. I pray for her heart as she witnesses one of their first, devastating losses together and learns how he needs to be comforted. And finally I pray that the Lord will support her in the moments when she doesn't need to be a support system for those around her. I pray that she has the space she, herself, needs to grieve, and that those of us who can help be her support system, will do so.

Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers today and in the days to come. Amen.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is beautifully written about a very serious subject. I hope your blog makes people think before they get behind the wheel of the car when drinking. My heart goes out to your friend and her family for their loss. I also feel for the drunk driver's family, who now must suffer the shame of being related to this person who has caused so much grief on another family's life. I, too, have a friend who lost their mother due to a drunk driver. His brother was also in the car when they were broadsided, killing their mother instantly. The brother was in a medically-induced coma, only to wake up 3 months later and learn his mother was dead and he had missed her funeral. Imagine being the one to have to give that news, as my friend had to. The grandkids no longer have a grandma. My friend and his brother no longer have a mother - all due to someone's poor decision. When will it end?! Wake up, people!