Breaking Out of the Bubble
What has happened to childhood innocence?
I did my parent duty for my son’s school. He’s involved in debate and parents are asked to help judge at some of the speech tournaments the school participates in. Judging debate scares me, but having competed in speech tournaments in both high school and college, I thought I had enough expertise to rate prose, poetry or any other speaking event like that. The events I was given: Oratory and Dramatic Duo Interpretation. I could handle it!
However, I never dreamed I’d be convicted by what I heard from the students.
In the Oratory competition, one girl’s original presentation discussed how so many of us live in the bubble. “We tweet and post on facebook™ but we never read the news anymore or keep up with what’s going on in the world,” she said directly to me. GUILTY!
My bubble is a safe place to be and I like it; but for some reason, it now seemed wrong.
Then my bubble was burst in the next event, Dramatic Duo Interpretation. While very entertaining, the subject material chosen by these 15-17 year olds was extremely mature. One duo joked about subjects like sexual molestation, another bleeped out profanity and yet another team paired a homosexual with a girl where both were checking out the same men. In the end, the gay friend ends up with aids.
I don’t like being out of my bubble.
I don’t want to believe our children understand and accept our fallen society. I wondered, “Is this what my sixteen year old talks about?”
I was saddened to know that innocence in our children seems lost. I wondered if they had ever been taught Romans 12:2: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
My Sunday school teacher said something one day that I’ve never forgotten. “Our eyes are adjusting to the darkness.” What used to be taboo is now permissible in the eyes of the world. We have disregarded Paul’s words in Romans and have conformed to the pattern.
I want to climb back into my bubble but I know I can’t.
I realized God is calling me to keep up with the world so I know how to minister to the world. I also realized our children need our prayers, because no matter how much effort we put into protecting their innocence, there are too many fiery arrows headed towards their bubble. It just takes one to puncture it and let the world in.
So how do we adjust our eyes back to light rather than darkness? I am open for suggestions.
Hmmm…wise Sunday school teacher…just kidding! I loved this post as well. I am really enjoying reading these. Thanks again for blessing me.
It is about conscious choices. Do we say yes to the world or do we choose a different path. Walking the different path isn’t always easy but, I do believe it is worth it.
REALLY enjoyed this devotion. Yes, we need to find out what our children (grandchildren) are being taught by this world.
It is so SAD. Thanks for this message and we do need to pray fervently for our children/grand/great grandchildren AND for the world.
Good post, Lisa. To answer your question: “So how do we adjust our eyes back to light rather than darkness?” We must remember that Jesus is the Light. I John 1:7 says that we’re to “walk in the light, as He is in the light.” Darkness is the absence of light. In John 8:12, Jesus said “…I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” If we walk with Jesus on a daily basis, our eyes will automatically adjust to the light, like they do when we leave a dark building and go out into the sunlight.