On a clear, sunny day for one brief hour, a bizarre, windy storm hit Tampa. In that one hour my roof was exposed to the sky – shingles and paper off, just the skeleton of wood. My dry, 90 year old house received the drenching like a 100% pima cotton towel – soaking it up into every crevice and passing the excess on so that it permeated our two story house and landed in victorious puddles on my wood floors.
It was amazing to walk through, and to wonder at the fact that it was raining inside! It was dripping from the ceilings, draining through the light fixtures, dancing on the walls and drenching the beds. The plaster ceilings began to crack immediately with the water pressuring for a place to escape. The walls began to bubble as they filled with water that couldn’t break through the paint. Within minutes the ravenous rain had saturated the house from top to bottom.
I thought my house was solid – rock solid, or at least brick solid. It is not, it is extremely porous, almost fragile, easily destroyed by something so benign – water. I think I am so solid, my children are so solid. It’s not true. So much is pouring into their eyes and ears, saturating their minds, pressuring them with emotion, pushing them toward destruction.
I laughed as I walked through my house. It can be fixed, but damage done to children needs more than time and money. It is best not to leave them vulnerable. They need protection from so many things that seem as benign as the rain. It can be deceiving to know what can be harmful, I have been easily miss led. So what can a mom use as a litmus test when considering if something might be harmful to her child? It helps me to consider the following…
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. From my friend Paul in Philippians 4
If it (think toys, movies, video games, etc) is not any of the above – true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy – then it probably needs some more serious consideration.
