(Todd A. Smith)
One of the biggest blessings God can grant someone is allowing them to live to adulthood.
I say that because maturity often helps a person avoid making bad temporary decisions that have a permanent impact.
Aundre Matthews, 18, is accused of stabbing his classmate Andrew Meismer, 16, to death at Sterling High School in Baytown, Texas over a dispute surrounding a missing vape pen.
Matthews is innocent until proven guilty, and very few killings are justifiable except for self-defense and defense of others.
But if all these allegations against Matthews are true, it is the biggest shame in a long time to see one teenager lose his life over something so meaningless, while another loses his freedom all over something worth approximately $21.
The part about maturity and making it into real adulthood, not just being of legal age, is that I would hope that most sane adults would not end a life for any reason, except to defend their own life and the lives of others.
And while some adults are less mature than some children, I would hope a rationally thinking adult would not end a life or ruin their own life for something that they probably will not even care about in a day or two.
As a teenager, I could remember wanting to do harm to people who dissed me in high school.
But I can always hear my mother in the back of my mind telling me how simple fights could lead to death if someone pulls out a weapon or even if someone falls and hits their head hard on something.
And I never wanted to force my parents to bury me.
And I never wanted them to visit me in someone’s jail.
Furthermore, I was also scared of the question “what if?”
What if I had not made that mistake?
Where would I be now in life?
What if I was more mature?
Could I have gone farther in life than I did?
Even as an adult, regardless of how good my intentions are, I weigh the pros and cons before acting on something.
If I do something immoral, illegal or crooked, will the potential gain outweigh the potential risks and consequences?
If I do something illegal, do I want to spend so much time and energy trying not to get caught, or trying not to tell someone about my actions because people will definitely snitch on you or use that dirt to manipulate you.
But all that questioning comes from growth and maturity.
And no matter how mature or intelligent a teenager is, their brains are still forming and developing, making them more prone to stupid decisions.
And in the case of the death of Meismer, a temporary argument and fight, created a permanent domino effect that will impact so many others like Meismer’s family, friends and loved-ones.
What could Meismer have become in this world?
What could Matthews have accomplished?
Furthermore, who would God have blessed through them if they had lived the lives God had intended for them?
Many people fail to realize that when you mess up, it also messes it up for everyone relying on you for their blessings and advancements in life.
Therefore, it is imperative that young people realize that selfish decisions do not just impact themselves.
Nicole Hensley, Ashley Soebroto and Matt deGrood of the Houston Chroniclereported, “A prosecutor, Phil White, detailed the allegations against Matthews and said he confronted another student, Meismer, about a vape pen after both teens left class to use the bathroom. The teens were seen on surveillance video together—before the fight—around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, White said.
“A female classmate saw the two get into a fight in an empty classroom and screamed for help. The stabbing was reported to police around 11:15 a.m., White said.
“A teacher heard the commotion and rushed in to try saving Meismer, who was in a choke hold. Matthews allegedly stabbed the teen in the neck with scissors, the prosecutors said…
“During a police interview, Matthews said Meismer owed him $21 for a vape pen he believed he had taken. He confronted Meismer in the bathroom and searched his pockets. He failed to find the pen but found scissors instead that he stashed in his waistband. The fight ensued as he continued to confront Meismer about the device in an empty classroom, White said.”
If Meismer did not have the vape pen on his person, Matthews should have thought maybe he did not take it.
And even if he did steal it from him, what is $21?
In 2025, a person cannot even fill up their vehicle with gasoline for $21.
Like many people, I have had things stolen from me.
And my immediate thought was to get my revenge and reimbursement for the theft.
But as a teenager when I tried to get my get-back, I always lost more from the revenge attempt than I did from the original theft.
However, whenever I accepted the lost and let God handle it, I often eventually received more from Him than I had lost at the hand of man.
More importantly, by letting God handle things, I did not lose my freedom and no one else lost anything either, especially their life.
I actually learned that valuable lesson when I was the exact same age as Matthews.
If he had time to learn similar lessons and actually mature, maybe Meismer would have his life and Matthews would still have his as well.
Unfortunately, two lives were lost in Baytown, Texas this week, and not knowing what these two teenagers could have become in life as adults hurts to the core.
What kind of blessing could they have been to the world?
We will never know.
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