A New Story
By Ron Hutchcraft
Some friends of ours were at Universal Studios, and they wanted to see behind the scenes of TV and movies. So they went on a tram that took them on a backstage tour. They had their preschooler with them, and weren't really too excited about him being terrorized by King Kong and the shark from "Jaws." So, when King Kong appeared on one side of the dark tunnel, they just turned their child's attention to the tunnel and said, "Ooo, look at this dark tunnel! What's this inside your hat?" It worked. He never saw King Kong. Never saw "Jaws." As the shark was jumping out of the water near his father's back, the little guy was studying the scenery on the other side. Whew! He never saw the shark.
Now, we could discuss whether this couple should have taken their preschooler on that tour or not, but they did do something smart. When there was something their child shouldn't experience, they creatively turned his attention to something else. That's not a bad strategy for parents who are raising their children in a world that's increasingly filled with “monsters” that can hurt them and destructive things that they shouldn't experience.
It's a strategy actually directed by God in Deuteronomy 11, beginning with verse 16. Like us, these parents were trying to raise their children in a culture where sin was cool and temptation was everywhere. God says, "Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds, teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land."
God is calling godly parents to play offense, not just defense, especially if you're in a spiritually hostile culture. Help them look in the other direction and find better things to experience — God's things!
You can't just say no to everything; you have to offer alternatives and positive reasons. For example, sex is something that is too beautiful to ruin by taking it out of the Creator's fence called marriage. With dating being difficult to navigate sometimes, maybe you could propose for guys and girls to be together in mixed groups, or even help set up fun get-togethers, and maybe even at your home.
If you’d like to encourage your kids to not listen to possibly destructive music, invest in music they can listen to. Invest in constructive interests and constructive friendships they have. Make your house a fun place, a welcoming place for their friends to gather. Have great parties for your kids and their friends.
And maybe you can give them the two words I gave my kids as they left for school each day, "GO MAD!" "GO M.A.D." means "Go Make A Difference!" I wanted them to see they didn't have to follow some friends down roads to nowhere; they could help lead their friends to experiences that leave no scars and no regrets.
We need to show our children that what we're against is because of what we're for: things like living without guilt, relationships without regrets, the specialness of sex, the value of life, a good reputation, protecting the worth that God gave you.
We can't just be against the monsters and predators — the sharks and the gorillas — that are around our children. We've got to direct their attention to all of God's good stuff!
© Ronald P. Hutchcraft 2021
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