| Gary with Sarah |
WHAT IF our children never heard a swear word?
WHAT IF they never saw anything scarey?
WHAT IF they never saw or heard about marital infidelity, or promiscuity?
WHAT IF they never ... (you fill in the blank)
WHAT IF this were true for their whole lives?
WHAT IF they learned from a young age to turn their eyes away from evil and habitually guarded their lips from speaking sinfully?
WHAT IF they could live in a bubble of truth?
Not completely possible I know, BUT IF one day, after many, many years of living in a sinful world, they were to develop Alzheimer's Disease or some other form of dementia, in which the brain's wiring is "crossed" and the neurons are not firing correctly, THEN perhaps there would be LESS frightening images for them, LESS violent responses, LESS profanity, confusion about spousal faithfulness, and accusations about such.
I'm no doctor, and I am NOT casting judgement on anyone who does exhibit these changes in personality/behavior due to their dementia. It is not their fault. Before the disease, they WERE able to control their thoughts, and keep them in the right "category" in their mind prior to their illness. They WERE able to control their speech and actions.
BUT I'm just thinking as a parent, what would I want to do to help my child, who will one day grow up, live their life, and possibly have dementia one day, to keep their mind saturated with truth, not error. There are many things on TV, Movies, Music, Video Games, and even gossip, that we must be discerning about. Just being able to "categorize" it as sin, may not be enough. Let's do what we can to keep the mind pure, so that if it is attacked with confusion one day, there is less ugliness stored there which can become the material for a horrid existence as well as spill out on others.
IMPORTANT COMMENTS:
1. For some reason, up to this point, this hasn't been a problem for Gary, even though, prior to his salvation, he had seen much of the "worldliness" I am talking about. But we know of many who do love Jesus, and who have spent their lives serving him, who, because of their dementia, have had a difficult time with personality and behavior changes. AGAIN, I am making NO judgment on them whatsoever. I am only wanting to motivate parents to help their children filter what goes into their mind in the first place.
2. As Christians in a fallen world, we will need to occasionally look evil in the face, for example counseling someone overtaken in a sin, or in defending and protecting the innocent, etc. There are times when it is unavoidable, but we are cautioned, even then, to be on guard. Galatians 6:1
"I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten it's grip on me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil." Psalm 101:3-4