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“Thank you very much!" The young artist's final words burst from the paper the judge then held, opening a flow of warm memories of the events that explained the colored pencil drawing that had just been delivered to his chambers.
A year or so before, this young man had accompanied his mother and her future husband to the courthouse. "Will the judge marry us today?" the woman asked the clerk. "I know him. I am sure he will remember me. When my son, Scotty, was a little boy, the judge gave Scotty a bucket of Scotty's favorite building bricks. It has been a few years, but I know he will remember us. Please ask him!"
When the clerk asked the judge, his memory immediately raced back to a time about ten years before, when the judge had noticed Scotty and his mother sitting near the front of the church he attended. Scotty came each Sunday seated in his wheelchair; his body weakened by a severe form of muscular dystrophy. The judge’s heart was touched as he watched the little boy struggle to do simple things most people take for granted. One December Sunday the judge asked Scotty's mother if there was anything her son would like for Christmas. “Scotty loves plastic building bricks!" she responded.
The following week, Scotty left the church with a brand-new bucket of multi-colored building bricks, and a grin on his face that stretched from ear to ear. A few months later, Scotty and his mother moved on to another church nearer to their home, and the judge lost track of the little boy and his bucket of bricks.
"Bring them in the courtroom," the judge instructed his clerk. "I remember that little boy and how his eyes lit up when I gave him those plastic bricks. He really loved those things. It has been years, but I still remember the look on his face when I put that bucket on the tray of his wheelchair. “Sure, I'll be happy to perform that wedding ceremony for his mom, and Scotty can be one of the witnesses."
When they wheeled Scotty into the courtroom that day, the judge quickly noticed that the debilitating effects of the young man's disease had increased during the years since the judge had last seen Scotty. By this time, Scotty lived in a group home and had a legal guardian. No one really knew how many more years Scotty had to live. Every day was a struggle for him, but Scotty bravely faced the challenges of each new day.
After the wedding ceremony, the judge took his biggest gavel down to where Scotty was sitting, and with a little help from his mother, Scotty banged the gavel and flashed the same boyish smile the judge had seen years before. "Scotty's become an artist," his mother boasted, as the reunion continued. "He goes to a workshop at the developmental center, and the workers there are helping him learn how to draw. He's getting pretty good at it."
"Is that true, Scotty?" the judge inquired. Scotty nodded. "Do you think you could find time to draw me a picture of this courtroom? I would love to have one. Your mom could bring it up to me, or maybe you could come back and give it to me yourself." Again, Scotty nodded. "Great! look forward to seeing what you can do."
Months went by and the judge forgot about the promised drawing. Then one day, Scotty’s grandfather called the court and told the clerk, "Our grandson, Scotty, drew a picture for the judge and he wanted to make sure the judge got it. Our little Scotty died last week... and he wanted us to bring this picture to the judge."
When they brought the colored-pencil drawing of the courtroom, the judge marveled at the detail the young artist had included in the picture Scotty had promised to give to the man who once gave him a bucket of building bricks. There was the courtroom door with the "Exit" sign above, complete with the two emergency lights. Next to the door was the bucket of toy bricks that had made Scotty's eyes light up ten years before. Down in the lower left-hand corner of the picture, Scotty had drawn the wedding bands, and in one had even inscribed his mother’s new name.
"Judge, when Scotty drew this picture for you, he was not able to lift his arms, but he could move his wrists," his mother reported. "The workers helped position the colored pencils in his hands and placed the paper on the table, but Scotty did all of the drawing and he picked the colors.... He really wanted you to have this."
Continuing to scan the "work of art," and more fully understanding how much effort Scotty had poured into his task, the judge noticed a stack of books on the judge's bench that Scotty had included in his rendering of the courtroom. There was a blue-colored book about the toy building bricks, and on top of that book was an orange-colored volume entitled, “Law.” But on top of all the other books there was a Bible. "Scotty asked me if it would be okay to put a Bible in the courtroom ... He really wanted there to be a Bible ... I told him that it would be okay... I hope that is all right," his mother added.
Finally, the judge noticed that in the center of the picture, Scotty had drawn a brown-colored gavel. On the gavel Scotty had written the inscription, "Thank you very much!"
"This young man could not lift his arms, but he made me a work of art," the judge thought to himself. "I gave him a bucket of plastic bricks, and he gave me a lesson in life... I wish he were still alive... I wish I could tell him... 'Thank you, Scotty... Thank YOU very much." (1)
Scotty’s story is an inspiration to every person who thinks the obstacles this life brings are just too hard to overcome. Scotty never quit. When he could no longer raise his arm above his drawing paper, Scotty continued to draw with his wrist. Scotty kept going until the drawing of his judge’s courtroom was complete, and the message, “Thank you very much,” which he intended be given to only one person, was ready to be delivered.
The Religious Alliance Against Pornography (RAAP) began as an ad hoc group of religious leaders during the mid-1980’s. In the beginning of their battle against pornography, those leaders regarded pornography as an invasive source of societal decay, and as an assault on human dignity and decency. Those leaders passionately believed that pornography should be resisted, “because conscience demands it.”(2) During the 1980’s the weapons used by pornographers were primarily limited to poorly produced X-rated films and video tapes, and a then-growing number of smutty magazines. Truly little was then known about the compulsive/addictive nature of pornography. Then came the Internet.
Today pornography has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. $3,075.64 is spent on porn every second on the Internet. (3) The focus of the industry has expanded to include children and teens. Even secular organizations have begun to report on the dangers to younger people. (4) One recent survey reported that “90% of teens and 96% of young adults are either encouraging, accepting, or neutral when they talk about porn with their friends.”(5) Another survey reported that “teens and young adults 13-24 believe not recycling is worse than viewing pornography.”(6) Do these statistics represent “obstacles…just too hard to overcome?”
Scotty did not quit because of the obstacles he faced, and those who believe that pornography is an “assault on human dignity and human decency” also should not quit. Pornography is resisted today “because conscience demands it.”
Fortunately, since the mid-1980’s, new groups have joined with RAAP to continue the fight against pornography. Organizations such as Covenant Eyes, Defend Young Minds, Pure Desire Ministries, National Center On Sexual Exploitation, and a lengthy list of others, are doing outstanding work today, educating people about the harmful and addictive nature of pornography, and helping those harmed by the pornography industry. These organizations have the common purpose of sharing their “messages” to, not just one person, but to countless persons. These warrior organizations share a common willingness to fight this battle for one person at a time, one day at a time. They deserve support.
Thank you to those who continue to fight this battle. “Thank you very much!”
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1. “Scotty’s Story” is an adaptation of a story entitled “Every Life Has Meaning,” found in the book, Some Stick With You. (Adaptation printed with permission of author.)
2. McManus, Michael J., (1986) Final Report of the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, p.32 Rutledge Hill Press, Nashville, TN.
3. Covenant Eyes, March, 2021, “Pornography Statistics.” See www.covenanteyes.com/pornstats/.
4. Unicef, “Protection of children from the harmful impacts of pornography. “See https://www.unicef.org/harmful-content-online#:~:text=Page-,Protection%20of%20children%20from%20the%20harmful%20impacts%20of%20pornography,-Pornographic%20content%20can
5. Covenant Eyes, March, 2021, “Pornography Statistics.” See www.covenanteyes.com/pornstats/.
6. Id.