Protecting Our Children

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." -1Cor 15:33 (NIV)



By far, one of the greatest parts of watching the Super Bowl is always the commercials. Although as Christians we should not promote habits such as drinking and whatnot, a good variety of humor with good messages can be portrayed, even during the game. I must say, however, this past year was by far one of the most disgusting displays of our culture's perception of the world that I have ever seen. Follow me on this: My fiancee' and I were over at some friends' house with our children. We were all enjoying a great game, eating tons of food, and enjoying good fellowship. The children that were present were between the ages of nine and fourteen. If you remember correctly, the variety of commercials that played that day ranged from showing disgusting horror images, to Eminem saying "D--m" on TV, and of course- several commercials with sexual innuendo. The latter included the (unfortunately) infamous GoDaddy commercials, a florist business with a term referring to a woman's anatomy, and a pointless and tasteless appearing of Kim Kardashian in a shoe commercial. All of this was not only being poured into our children's heads- but hundreds of thousands worldwide!



As fathers, it is one of our greatest responsibilities to build a strong and deep foundation in our children when it comes to God's statutes and to ensure that they will not be swayed by such shallow influences. If and when situations arise that our children are exposed to media or examples of worldly influence, it is our responsibility as fathers to immediately identify the foul and correct the moment in a godly way. Possibly you could make a comment such as, "I wish they wouldn't play commercials like that."- thus sparking an opportunity to witness to your child; or immediately back it up with Scripture or a fun experience. Whatever the choice, make sure that YOUR impression is the one that sticks in your kid's mind- not the destructive one.

The greatest impact will come, however, when our children see that we actually model the behavior that we promote. Credibility can be lost in a heartbeat should we slip by swearing in front of our children, watching something racy or gory without them (but have them catch us), or laughing at crude humor. We must constantly keep our eyes on the cross and the world to our backs. Only then, will we continue to die to self and have the light of Jesus shine from the inside out through us. Dad, let your light shine! (Luke 11:33-36)

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." -Eph 6:4 (NASB)