The Rest of the Story

My first reaction was to identify her as a spoiled rich kid who had gone sideways and was so desperate for a high she resorted to “huffing” (inhaling ingredients of an aerosol). It ended tragically. She lost control of her car (a Lexus sport coupe) and ran into a family who was walking down the sidewalk injuring several of them and killing a five year old girl.

 

Senseless. Tragic. Horrible.

The late Paul Harvey was famous for his story telling. One of his techniques was to tell a story and then move on to something else, or a commercial break and then come back with his signature line: “And now, the rest of the story”.

As the days progressed “the rest of the story” came out piece by piece. Three years ago the teenage driver had been attacked by a dog and her face had been torn apart. She has suffered from nightmares and trauma ever since. She has been under psychological care. Kids in her high school teased her because of the scars on her face. She changed schools to avoid their cruelty. She had turned to drugs and alcohol to ease her pain and then later had been part of a 12 step rehabilitation program. She still suffered greatly and apparently the huffing was another way of coping.

The “rest of the story” made me more sympathetic. I could only imagine how painful and difficult this must be for her. I felt badly for her parents who, no doubt, were scrambling to figure out how to help their daughter, had done all they knew how, and were feeling at a loss of what to do next.

The “rest of the story” didn’t excuse her from what she had done. Her means of coping with her own pain had tragically impacted another family. An innocent life had been lost. A domino that was tipped over three years earlier was still tipping over others in even more tragic ways. My heart broke for everyone.

Jesus said, “Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)

The book of Proverbs says:

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” (Proverbs 1:5)

Every person we meet has a back story. Everything we do or say is a product of our past. Some of it good, and some of it bad. I have learned that behind every smiling face and seemingly perfect person, marriage or family, there is probably some pain and difficulty because none of us is perfect. I have discovered that many people that I have admired had flaws that I didn’t know existed when I heard “the rest of the story.” Troubled teens or young adults have a story: dysfunction at home, some tragic event, perhaps a well hidden disability, or some kind of pain they are trying to mask.

I know that is true of me.

Jesus took the time to listen to people’s stories. He didn’t necessarily let their stories excuse their moral or ethical failures, but He did understand the road they traveled to get there. He was empathetic, which is how He communicated His love and acceptance of the person without finding everything they did acceptable.

I am praying I will remember to do the same. 

I am also praying for the family of the five year old girl who was killed and for the driver and her family, who now have one more tragedy in their lives heaped on others.

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