For the Kids

I hate what I am seeing in the news concerning the ongoing investigation and scandal at Penn State University. I will not go into the details here, but you can easily find them on any reputable news site, and with the nature of a story like this, you do not have to go to a sports’ website. The story is being covered by every major news outlet in America, and I believe, rightfully so.

As I am reading reports and stories, one of the constant questions is, “Who should be blamed?” From the school administrators to a whole lineup of coaches (and maybe other people as well), people are wanting heads to roll. This is a normal reaction, and I am wondering the same thing as I try to make sense of the seemingly never-ending mountains of information concerning this horrific story.

However, I came across a quote a while ago that summed up what I was thinking earlier today. It was said by Matt Millen. Millen played at Penn State in the 1970s and has been a “career football guy.” Recently, he was fired as the General Manager of the Detroit Lions, but is having a successful time working for ESPN as an analyst (and, personally, I think a very good one).

This morning he was being interviewed about the scandal. Since Millen is a former Penn State player, I figured he would just “toe the party line” and tell people to wait this thing out. He did say some things to that effect, but in the middle of the interview, he gave one of the best summaries of this whole mess that anyone could. He stated,

If we can’t protect our kids, we as a society are pathetic.

In all this scandal and anger, that’s who is being forgotten. While we look for who to fire, we can easily overlook the young men who were abused and are now living with the scars of those memories.

God tells His people to go near to those who are hurting and those who cannot protect themselves. We need to be people who are there for the kids. As you ponder the anger behind this story, don’t forget to think of the young men (who, for the most part, are now grown men). Let that motivate you to remember other children who need your help.

Be there for the kids.