Household Security

After September 11th, 2001, U.S.President Bush called on Congress to create a new department: Homeland Security. The job of this agency is would be to use every possible means to assure safety to U.S. citizens.  

Long before 9/11 we were putting into place certain sensible checks within our family units. We taught each other to: Lock doors, to not pick up hitch hikers, and don't replace fuses in the home with higher number.  

We have also been diligent at teaching safety to our kids. We told them to: Always cross the street at crosswalks, Don’t go with strangers, Keep good company, and always call home before going somewhere different.  

But there is another real need that looms large before us. We could call this HOUSEHOLD SECURITY in areas spiritual and moral. Since the world now has easy access to our homes so we make the following suggestions:  

TAKE CHARGE OF THE MEDIA. The alternative will not place the kids in charge; rather the media will have control.

As a parent, your job is to monitor T.V programs and movies. This will include content, language, violence and sexual scenes. Several times in the Bible we find a sad fact pointed out: God's people had become so accustomed to the ways of the world the no longer were able to blush. A reading of II Timothy chapter 3, verses 1-5 should cause all religious and moral people to pay attention, especially where our children are involved. In our day, it is easy to see "shameful behavior" in books, movies, and T.V. Attempts are being made to blur or completely remove the line that exists between sinfulness and acceptable behavior.  

You task is just beginning. You must pay close attention to themes and motives in programming. Is the motive killing, seducing, or materialism? These, when not isolated but providing the thread that runs though the shows in any given season, need to be given our carefully attention, simply because we love our children. 

Even the commercials that appear every few minutes may be repeatedly pounding home lessons we would not teach our children. In the first 20 years of a Canadian child's life he or she will view about one million commercials at the rate of one thousand a week. This makes T.V. commercials the most voluminous source of education available. They teach: that all problems are solvable, that all problems are solvable quickly, and that all problems are solvable quickly by our the work of our own hands. This might be a computer, a face cream, or a laundry detergent. More specifically, T.V. commercials teach our young people that being thin, having wealth and being beautiful or handsome in body will somehow guarantee success and fulfillment. If these are not healthy lesson for our children to learn, then we had better become actively involved or pray hard for a large miracle! 

BUILD SHIELDS FOR YOUR CHILDREN. Teach your children God's Word. Show them from the Bible and in your life the really important and lasting commodities. Make sure they hear from you about things that are eternal in nature. All other items will rot or decay or burn or break. Convey to your kids the importance of the invisible.  

Be very careful to make sure that your own life is genuine. Our children are so very smart and observant, so we must set before them examples to emulate. Here is a funny but sad story. A lady was tailgating a man. She was upset that he was only driving the speed limit. Then the worst happened. They came to an amber light about to turn red and he stopped. She became enraged. She then made obscene hand gestures and her lips and head movement said exactly how she felt toward the man. Then, out of nowhere, a policeman tapped on her window. He searched her, put handcuffs on her and took to a holding cell down town. In a short time the policeman returned telling the lady he was sorry, but he had made a mistake. He explained that he had observed the fish sigh on her car which he knew to be a symbol of a Christian and he also noticed the bumper sticker which ordered, "Follow me, I'm on my way to church."

"So," the officer continued, "I thought I had good reason to believe the car had been stolen. I'm sorry."

It is not sufficient to teach our children how to survive or not get caught, as in safe-sex or small, convenient lies. We must make every effort to show them, tell them and then hold them accountable for behavior that is "God honoring conduct."