Mark, McNair and Michael

by Pam Lutrell It has been a long, thick, sultry summer. Not merely because of the never ending, 100- degree- plus-days, but also because of the disturbing news stories screaming at us from our television and computer. Many of the stories were poignant reminders of our progressing lives. I confess to pangs of sadness at the passing of Farrah Fawcett (I had the haircut!), Karl Malden (always the pastor in Pollyanna to me), and, yes, even Oscar Mayer.

But, three stories struck me as important lessons for our youth. The stories are tragedies in so many ways and all three are results of weakness and the alluring power of temptations. I was a fan of Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina. He was an outspoken conservative, Christian politician who spoke the words so many of us long to hear. He proudly displayed his perfect family of four boys and a wife of twenty years. He offered hope to Republicans…a blend of Mitt Romney financial savvy and Mike Huckabee Biblical foundations. Yet, in a quick snap of your fingers, he gave in to sexual temptation and now lies politically dead with a family of victims and gaping wounds. His confessions of infidelity to the cameras was grueling to watch, because clearly here is a man realizing that he has let down those closest to him, including God.

It is a visual reality of watching consequences rising up to choke potential. At one point, commentators were begging him not to go before cameras again… at that point, becoming eyewitnesses to his battle with sin was too uncomfortable for many to handle. That uncomfortable feeling deepened with the death of Steve McNair. Sanford’s political death was one thing, but an actual death as a consequence to a bad decision was sobering.

My most recent memory of McNair came during Vince Young’s rein as quarterback of the University of Texas Longhorns, my alma mater. During an ESPN report, we learned of how McNair not only coached Young in athletics, but also coached him in life and served as a father figure. The report highlighted the goodness of McNair and all he did for the community.

One brief encounter in a restaurant, a secret affair, a knife in the back of his family, and four gunshots to the upper body took it all away. Yahoo Sports Reporter, Jason Cole, wrote on July 10, “There are a year’s worth of sermons and lessons that people could take from the death of Steve McNair.”The only hope remaining here is these lessons will save the lives of others.

Finally, I submit, many of you share Michael Jackson moments in your life as I do. I can remember sitting in front of the Ed Sullivan show, eating grilled cheese and Campbell’s soup, and watching young Michael light up the stage. On my first date with my husband, I slid into the front seat of his ’78 Olds to the tunes of Jackson blaring from the cassette player. Music marks moments in our lives and Michael Jackson shared several with me. The sadness I experienced during the excruciatingly long reports of his death was again a sadness of potential lost. This little boy had a huge hole in his heart he attempted to fill with far too many bad decisions, and, of course, the drug decision was a fatal one. His restructured face bore the pain of childhood lost and one disappointment after another.

As we witnessed thousands worship at the golden casket in LA, I could only reflect about how we must tell these three stories in their entirety. Our youth need to be reminded that all of your vision and calling can be lost in the snap of your fingers for the whole world to see.