Recently, I was having an email conversation with a woman who works trying to save children and teens from child trafficking. She mentioned something which stopped me in my tracks. She said one of the hardest things she does is trying to convince parents of the dangers of allowing their children to participate in virtual sin. It took me a minute or two to process what she meant.
Virtual sin is when anyone participates in a sin in a virtual environment. In other words, if your child regularly plays a game where part of the game is murdering people, that would be a virtual sin. If the characters are naked or nearly so or participate in some sexual acts with a child’s avatar, the child has participated in virtual pornography. Basically anything one does in the arena of a video game or online that would be sinful in “real” life is a virtual sin.
School in our area begins in a couple of weeks. Many students will start the first day of school without any supplies. When they run out of any supplies they do manage to possess, their parents won’t replace them. Imagine how difficult it can be for children to have no materials for classwork or homework. You and your kids can help change that, have fun and you can teach your kids godly money skills at the same time.
If you want parenting advice, it’s pretty easy to find lots of experts who will help you guide your child away from bad habits. There is also a lot of advice on how to train on practical things like manners. When it comes to heart issues like speech though, it gets much tougher. The Bible tells us what comes out of our mouths reflects what is on our hearts. (Matthew 15:18) How do we mold the hearts of our children so what comes out of their mouths is positive, loving and uplifting?
One of the most exciting times while raising children is when your little ones begin to speak. The cute way they mangle words and the glimpses into their minds and personalities is a joyful experience. As they begin to master speech, sometimes what comes out of those little mouths are things we would rather not hear. Especially from a child we were given by God to point towards Him.
There is no doubt about it. Even a casual glance through the Bible tells us God expects us to serve others and share our faith. It is even more obvious from reading about the lives of Jesus and the Apostles, sometimes the cost for doing those things is high and even fatal. As I am not a fan of danger, I am always interested to read about people whose service and faith sharing has put them in situations that would terrify me.
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