I went to get a movie from my local Blockbuster last week and took my very visual 6 year old into the store with me.
You’d think I would know better.
We strolled the aisles being very careful what we picked for the family and very conscious of what I picked for the adults. I know where I cross that line of compromise in something I’m watching, so it kind of takes a while to actually find something that I haven’t seen three or five hundred times already. That line was a long time in coming. It took years of crossing it to realize just how far back it really goes.
I guess I just wasn’t thinking that day but we walked by several horrid movies and one, right at six year old eye level, had a graphic slasher cover. Of course, Malachi saw it and it made quite an impression. Later in the car, he told me what he saw. He was very disturbed that he couldn’t get it out of his sweet blond noggin. I comforted him, apologized for taking him in that store and we went about our day.
The next day on our way to church he came up to me and told me the image was STILL in his head and it was really bothering him. “It just wouldn’t go away!” he said. We prayed for it to leave and I realized this was a great moment for some seed planting.
We talked about how God tells us to put good things in our mind. How someday when he’s a man there will be lots of things for him to look at and he needs to really choose wisely what kind of pictures he puts in his mind. How God tells us to put things that are true and noble and good into our minds, not to withhold from us, but to protect us so that we won’t be tormented by yucky thoughts and pictures.
I saw the fertile soil of his heart receive that seed and a lightbulb of understanding flicker on behind his eyes. I just hope that I planted it deep enough so that when he is faced with the tough choices that he will inevitably have as he grows into a man, he’ll remember that yucky video cover and choose to turn away.
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6 comments:
I just happened upon your site. I just wanted to let you know, I certainly can relate with this, with the horrible movies. We rarely go into a place anymore to get movies. It's all the "sleezy" covers and the "demonic" ones that just are awful for anyone to see, esp. since God says to think on lovely and pure things. Through our library system, we can reserve books and movies on-line, so that is mostly how we do it. It sure avoids seeing all the junk for something good. Thanks for sharing this today.
Your new home here looks great! I'll add this address to my bloglines so I don't miss a thing. :)
I just said a quick prayer that your little one would be freed from that yucky image. Thanks for the reminder to seize those moments!
He'll need those seeds for when he comes across a crazy lady wearing an inappropriate t-shirt! (teehee)
I just love those teachable moments...so much more effective than sitting them down to teach them a planned lesson.
Like your new home!
What an awesome moment with your son. I think it's often our instincts to shield our children from everything evil (and of course there's a time for that)..but truly it's these moments that teach them how to live in faith.
I read about a mom who challenged her son to pray for a specific person (his was a famous football player) every time he saw something he knew he shouldn't dwell on. It helped him to get the yucky thoughts out of his head and also brought prayer into the other person's life.
I thought that was a great tool for especially boys in our world.
i saved you on my bloglines. i'm going to be moving soon too.
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