Taking Responsibility

We have the personal responsibility to take the resources that God has given us to live a holy life and appropriate them for His glory. Romans 13 gives some perspective:
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

Two-and-a-half years ago, in Burleson, Texas, south of Fort Worth, a youth pastor named Brian Jennings had stopped to help a stranded motorist whose SUV had broken down, according to a CNN report of the incident, which also said that a lady named Hollie Boyles and her daughter Shelby had left their home to help the motorist, Breanna Mitchell. Moments later, the four of them were dead, as a drunk driver plowed into the scene with a blood alcohol level of .24, three times the legal limit.

That story is back in the news now.  CNN has an updated report - oh, by the way, two people riding in the bed of the driver's pickup were tossed in the crash and severely injured. One is no longer able to move or talk because of a brain injury, while the other suffered internal injuries and broken bones.

Now, you would think this driver, who had killed 4 and injured 2 others would be serving time in prison.  Well, think again - he was a juvenile, and prosecutors wanted to see him behind bars for 20 years, but instead he was sentenced to probation and rehab.

During the trial, a psychologist testified that then-16-year-old Ethan Couch suffered from "affluenza" -- he was the product of wealthy, privileged parents who never set limits for the boy. Couch had been ordered to stay away from drugs and alcohol for the duration of his probation.

However, in mid-December, a video surfaced showing him using alcohol and a warrant was issued for his arrest.  His probation officer couldn't reach him.  Turns out Ethan and one of his enablers - his mother, Tonya, had apparently escaped to Mexico.   The mother and son were apprehended by Mexican authorities, and CNN reports that Mrs. Couch is now back in the States, but Ethan's attorneys are seeking to block his deportation.  

Violating his probation by fleeing to Mexico may earn Couch a maximum of 120 days in jail, said Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson.

Sheriff Anderson told CNN Wednesday that the punishment, which he considers lenient, is infuriating.  He is quoted as saying, "He doesn't believe the rules apply to him, he doesn't believe the laws apply to him."

Another CNN article points out that the Oxford Dictionary defines "affluenza" as "a psychological malaise supposedly affecting young people, symptoms of which include a lack of motivation, feelings of guilt, and a sense of isolation."  The writer of the article, attorney and analyst Paul Callan, points out that defense attorney Brown apparently succeeded in convincing soon-to-be retired juvenile Judge Jean Boyd that this spoiled rich kid syndrome diminished Ethan Couch's capacity to distinguish right from wrong.

Callan writes:

A wise judge presented with the claim of affluenza as a defense to manslaughter would have responded in a very different way. Ethan Couch, his lawyer and his wealthy father should have been told that the cure for affluenza is a solid dose of state-inflicted poverty in a prison cell where Ethan Couch would learn that his money can't buy justice.

This is a disturbing story, and I am sure that there are those who would hope that Couch is placed in the adult legal system, where justice might be brought for his irresponsible actions.

This whole story brings up issues of responsibility - including parents' responsibility to direct the lives of their children, the lack of ability of a person to distinguish right from wrong, and how someone can attempt to make excuses for irresponsible actions.   And, it gives us some points to ponder.

First of all, we have to make sure as parents that we are not enabling or encouraging our children, who have been given to us by God to train in His ways, to make wrong decisions. These parents, according to accounts of the trial, created an atmosphere in which their son could not or did not choose to make moral decisions - he could not distinguish right from wrong, his defense team said. While I don't necessarily buy into that, it can challenge us to make sure that Biblical principles are demonstrated in our families, leading to moral clarity.

And, we have to make sure that we have integrated Biblical clarity into our own decisions and actions.  We live in a world of moral relativism, and we have to make sure that we are not rationalizing our choices; rather, that we are allowing Scripture to guide what we think and do.  The Bible clearly teaches what pleases God and what doesn't, and we have to make certain that we are relying on His Word and the leadership of His Spirit to direct our steps.

Finally, we also have to ascertain when we are making excuses for our sinful behavior.  Ethan Couch blamed his horrific actions on "affluenza," which is a dubious defense.  But, do we sometimes make excuses for our own actions that are incorrect - do we try to blame others, or bad circumstances, or social conditioning, for our own lack of judgment?   Sometimes, we have to take responsibility, admit what we have done is wrong, seek forgiveness from God and those whom we have offended, and depend on the Spirit to correct us and teach and empower us to do better.