So on the way to work this morning I was listening to a particular talk radio show and the hosts played an audio clip I could not believe. It was the audio from a bit Jimmy Kimmel did on his late night show in which one of his producers went out on Hollywood Boulevard and asked little children to tell him what “naughty words” they knew. Most of the responses made me smile at the innocence of the child. Some shyly responded with words like “stupid,” “shutup,” “hush,” “you’re ugly,” etc. Words that aren’t really considered vulgar but are typically discouraged in polite conversation.
It was during those times of innocence that you could hear the audience slightly giggled or awe at how cute they were. But then there were the occasions when the children would let one fly. You know what I mean. Every so often even the most innocent of children would repeat a word that was really bad and you know what the response of the audience was? It wasn’t shock or displeasure. No, every time one of those precious little children responded to the question with a word they should have been protected from the audience laughingly approved.
In Matthew 18:3-4 Jesus gave the ideal of how every man and woman were to conduct their lives – “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Imagine the innocence of that little child at Jesus’ feet. That is the model He wanted us all to pattern ourselves after. But we have done just the opposite. Instead of adults modeling the innocence of our children we have encouraged our children to abandon their innocence for the sake of “mature” matters. Why else would people laugh when a child curses instead of gasp in shock? When we act like we’re amused at certain behaviors that only goes to encourage it.
But the problem is not just that we have abandoned Jesus’ proactive statement; we have also ignored what He said next: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were banged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). So often we blame the continued decline of American society on the young. How much of that, though, is the fault of the old who encourage it?
Parents, we have an incredibly sobering job. Our job as parents is to do everything we can to help our children get to heaven (Ephesians 6:4). That means not only encouraging proper behavior. That means expecting proper behavior. However, so many are actively pushing their children in very dangerous directions for the sake of humor, limelight, vicarious glory, etc. They may get what they want, but in the process they ignore the eternal implications of what is to come, because really they’re sacrificing their children on the altar of cheap thrills.
-Andy Brewer