Molly Shattuck, 47 and a former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader, was accused yesterday of raping a 15-year-old boy over this past Labor Day weekend at her Delaware beach house. Molly, who made history as the oldest woman to become an NFL cheerleader, is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting the young boy. The Associated Press reports that Shattuck faces two counts of third-degree rape, four counts of unlawful sexual contact and three counts of providing alcohol to minors. Court documents allege that Shattuck saw the boy’s pictures on Instagram and got in touch with him.
This was followed by the story last week of 24-year-old teacher Megan Mahoney who was arrested last month on charges of 30 counts of rape and criminal sexual act with a 16 year old student.
So what went so tragically wrong?
To this young man …and the countless young children over time that have been abused by those they should trust…you belong to one of the largest and most influential rising generations our nation has seen. You are also one of the most unique. You were raised playing on teams, wearing uniforms, being mainstreamed, and working on group assignments. You are brilliant at conforming and cooperating. But you are aching for independent thought and creativity. You crave peer support. You feel interchangeable with others your age. Your generation is also the most overbooked and overactive generation in history. You are perpetually under stress, don’t get enough sleep, have short attention spans, feel no strong commitments, and have little experience with introspection.
To parents…its what drives this generation to their phones. Facebook replaces true community. Text replaces introspective conversation. A ten second Vine video replaces a long conversation. They hook up on Tinder. Twitter gives them the sensation of sharing. And Instagram says this is who I am and what’s important to me. Instagram is your identity. And his vulnerability on Instagram lead him right into the arms of a woman who was seeking validation for many of the same things you were.
I adore technology. Im a digital immigrant masquerading as a native. I am an early adopter of all things digital. But for this rising generation I pray we can all find ways to slow them down and let them know they are individuals. They aren’t interchangeable with their friends. They are unique.
Matt Chandler at The Village Church is teaching a series on this called a Beautiful Design. “Our culture is always shifting. And at a faster and faster rate. Society tells us who we should be as men, women, boys, and girls…but its message keeps changing. However, the Bible teaches us exactly who we are. God’s beautiful design for us is true and perfect, leading to joy and human flourishing.”
God created us each to have unique characteristics and purpose. He also created us to have a peace and contentment in our lives through His will. We discover who we are as we draw closer to Him.
When did this start to so tragically go wrong? From the moment time began. From the moment we hid from God and said I know better who I am. And it continues to happen every day. It happens when we put our trust, hope, faith, and confidence in ourselves for identity, control, and affirmation. We make lousy gods. Those around us make lousy gods. Our identity is not found on our profile but can only be found in the eyes and words of the One who created us.
To the young man…what she did to you was wrong and is not your fault. I know that coming forward was painful, but now you can begin healing. I pray as you heal you will learn your identity is not in how a woman or the world sees you. Your identity is not your profile page. Nor is your identity found in how you compare yourself to the profiles and posts of others. It is in God alone. He loves you dearly and like none other. Let God’s loving embrace show you true love.
To Molly…the light of confession and discovery is painful for you too, but now you can heal as well. Likewise, your identity is not in your body, your appearance, your perfection, your age, or in how you think others perceive those things. It too is in Christ.
To each of us…If we are honest there is a piece of us that can be found in this young man and Molly both. I know there is in me. As we each scramble through our day to “check in” and establish our web presence for the world to admire may we each remember how fleeting our digital dignity is. Our dignity is destined to rest solely in the hands of the Divine. And only for His pleasure and design.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
For in Christ all the fullness of God lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
Divine Tension 