What Are My Children Watching

Entertainment everywhere. In your face, wherever you go. As Christians where do we draw the line? Over the years our convictions have become stronger in calling entertainment what it really is. We have wondered why we seem to think it is okay to let entertainment into our homes that have values and beliefs that are contrary to Scripture. The draw is strong. As humans we seem to love to be entertained. A way to escape the real world and 'relax'. But at the same time our minds are not relaxing. Rather I think they are working overtime. Many years ago we chose not to have Television in our home, but chose instead to watch videos/dvds. For us it was easier to control what was being watched. If we were unsure of a video, Mark and I would preview it first to make sure it was okay. When we would watch tv, sometimes the damage would already be done before we had time to shut it off. But even with just watching videos we quickly realized how we could still compromise our values and put ungodly things in our mind and in our home. We have went through a couple of purgings as God has gotten a hold of our hearts in this area. Times where we went through all of our videos and asked ourselves if they were honoring to God, if they were bringing life to our family. We found when we viewed videos in this light, there wasn't too much worthy to be watched. Some videos (especially kids) almost mocked the Bible stories in the way they were told, or were not even totally scripturally acurate. Some would depict attitudes or behaviours that we had trained our kids were unacceptable to God and in our home. Or they would contradict values that we placed as important in our family (dating vs. courtship, obedience to parents, respecting dad as the head of our home, submission of wives to husbands, the joy of being a stay at home mom, siblings becoming best friends.....). Some had hints of witchcraft, magic or superpowers. Not real blatent, underlying, but still there, polluting the minds of our family and making it seem like no big deal when God clearly says how He hates it. This journey has not been easy for us. To be honest there are times where we have degressed, when we just wanted to flake out and watch a 'good one'. And not having a 'good one' to watch, sometimes our flesh would get the best of us and we would watch an 'almost good one'. And of course it doesn't just end at videos, there are other things that beckon us to use up our time, things that entertain us all the while compromising our beliefs. Video games, computer.....the list goes on. We live in a day and age where we can constantly be entertained. Often I think of the verse, "Be still and know that I am God." How many times are we still, so that God is able to speak to us and let us know who He is in our life and in our circumstances. Silence is something that is very rare these days. So I guess here is my challenge to you this time. Have you thought, I mean really thought, about what you are tolerating and allowing into your home all in the name of entertainment? Have you lined the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours up to God's Word. Have you thought about the double standard you may be teaching to your family by allowing things into your home that are clearly (or sometimes not so clearly) contradicting the values you are teaching them? Pray, ask God to give you wisdom in this area. To see past the mere entertainment of it all and seriously ask yourself "What ARE my children watching?"