“For what will it profit a man if he gain the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” – Jesus
There is nothing that will make one feel more out of control than to have a child who is in danger. When we received notification that a threat had been made to a teacher at school that involved bombs and firearms, I was naturally nervous. The administration assured us they were taking every precaution. The next day they cancelled school. I wondered what was happening so I called another parent whose child was more directly impacted. Details were vague. Someone in the community sent an email to someone at school making serious threats. So the principal sent an email that included the following…
This message caused more questions in my mind. What were the specific “acts of hate”? Why are they blaming religious bigotry? It’s all so…unclear.
My son told me that there are some children in the school who are “furries”. They wear ears and tails and like to walk on all fours around the school. He said they are antagonistic and aggressive. They bark at the other students. Some of these children participated in the St. Charles Parks Department summer camp program. They were kicked out after they started biting other children. (I’m not kidding). They have also been demonstrating with signs saying they are oppressed. He said it’s “really annoying.” It is also disruptive. The other children respond by barking back at them. I wonder why the administration was allowing this behavior.
My son is not allowed to talk about God in school. One of the teachers told him religion doesn’t belong in school. I wonder what would happen if my son decided to demonstrate that we need God in school and wanted to hold a prayer meeting on campus. Would he feel “supported and cared for” or would he simply be asked to leave?
My child faces these dangers every day. His young mind is inundated with a culture that celebrates sexual liberation rather than chastity. He is 13 years old and the predominating narrative is “do what feels right to you.” Therefore, children are being emboldened to embrace nonsense ideas – like they can be a furry animal, or that they can be a different sex than they were born with, or that they can be “non-binary”. The adults in their lives who know better lack courage to speak truth to these people with immature brains and so they swirl in confusion. The law isn’t much help in this regard either.
All of this begs the question: which danger is most pressing for my child? Is it a bomb blowing up his classroom or is it that these ideas have tangible consequences? (Because how do you explain puberty to a girl who thinks she’s a dog? Not to mention the question of why we are hypersexualizing children?) On a recent visit to the pediatrician my son saw this picture of Minnie Mouse on the wall and said, “Why is her skirt flipped up and her underwear showing?” Good question.
Why is Minnie Mouse so immodest?
These questions create within me a sense of powerlessness because the truth is, I do not have ultimate control over my child. Evil people are going to threaten and possibly harm him. He is going to make decisions that have permanent consequences. And since our educational system has, for the most part, removed God (and moral authority) from our classrooms, unless I teach him at home, he will never know the satisfaction and joy of relationship with the creator of the universe.
There will be people who read this and feel the need to attack me for my belief system. They might say that I am hateful and a religious bigot. This makes me sad. Am I intolerant? Am I exclusive?
I think our culture is confused about what peace, joy and satisfaction actually look like. True meaning and purpose cannot be found in sexual ethics. The only way to true and lasting peace is through Jesus Christ via a relationship with God the Father. It cannot be found in the arms of another human being – no matter how well-intentioned each party is, just as it cannot be found in food, shopping or wild African safaris. I welcome the dear reader to try. But why does this make me a religious bigot?
We disenfranchise our youth when we withhold truth from them just because we don’t like it. There is a God and He created the universe. He created men and women with a perfect plan to populate the world–but more importantly to love and be loved by Him.
Jesus said we must “deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him.” He said whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25) This would be a good place to begin with our children… “The creator of the world loves you. He knows you are a sinner and made a way to heal you of that sin and bring you into relationship with the Father. Believe in Him and you will be saved. Also, you will be supremely satisfied in Him forever.”
The only real security we have in this life is through God. Tornadoes will suck up our houses. Fires will ravage our businesses. Illness will rob our vitality. Death is the eventuality for every human who lives. So I ask you again, “what will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?”
No matter how many bombs go off or how many lies the world tries to peddle about human sexuality – our souls are secure in Christ. No one can snatch us out of his hands.
Today, if any of this resonates with you, I hope you will seek Him out and discover who he really is and what he did for you. He loves you. He is standing at the door waiting for you to open it.
Excellent post. Thank you.