Unpolluted Lives: Take IV

Last week in my classes, we memorized James 1:27, one of my favorite verses. It says:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
We do a pretty decent job of the orphans and widows part but the polluted part, well, that's the kicker. Each student was assigned this short essay question: How will you raise your children to be pure and try to keep them from the pollution we live in? These responses tonight are from young ladies. All are used by permission.

I know that raising kids 'pure' today is impossible unless you follow them around all day every day. And still, they would not be 100% pure. To do my best, though, I would encourage them in all that they do. I would have them active in a youth group. I will be completely open with them about my life and hope they will trust me, too. Hopefully, I will one of those cool moms so that instead of going to friends' homes, they will invite kids over so I can relatively know who they are hanging out with. Every Sunday my family will be at church. I'll try to be easy going with what I allow them to do while explaining to them why I don't want them to do what I don't want them to do.
-Lilly

I would try my hardest to monitor them; however, I wouldn't hover over them because that makes children want to rebel, and they will find a way to disobey just to make me mad. I would block certain things on TV, and on the computer. On the other hand, I want my children to get some type of sense of the real world. If children don't know anything about the "filth" when they become adults, they'll be clueless. Therefore, I'd limit some things, but not everything.
-Chelsea

In about fifteen years, I plan on having children. I hope and pray that my children are well behaved, Christian, and polite. But I know that won't happen unless I instill those values. I would keep my child protected, but I wouldn't shield my child from the world. I realize they are going to learn sometime in life, but they shouldn't have to learn those things too early. I would let my child have a cell phone and a social life and  find ways to keep tabs on all those sources. Basically, I would raise my children the way my parents raised me. I would have set bedtimes, rules of phone usage, homework "laws," and other little things that make a big impact in the end. I would keep my child in a stable, preferably Christian, school.
-Bryanna

Raising kids is a tough thing to do, but we love them no matter what. It's really hard to keep a kid pure because they want to do what their friends do. I would keep my kids pure by spending time with them. Having a special relationship with your kids is very important. Another thing I would do is give them some boundaries. I would be really strict, but once they reached a certain age, I would calmly talk about inappropriate things in the world, and how they work. Making important decisions for our kids is a big risk because we never know how things will end. That is how life is.
-Victoria

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com