Monday, June 13, 2011

Day Six -- Men Set Apart: Purity

"And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure."  -- 1 John 3:3 (NLT)

In this area of cyber-space, "in-your-face instant gratification", it's SO incredibly easy for our sons to simply stumble upon sights and sounds that threaten their purity.  Did you know that the average age of porn exposure is now 11 years old?  It's hard to imagine that is just five short years away for my six year old, and yet, I can see how, even at young ages, they could so easily be tempted.

In the LG, Brooke provides encouragement from Hal & Melanie Young.  They are parents of SIX boys and authors of a fabulous resource on raising boys, Raising Real Men.  Read below what they have shared.

"So how do we prepare our guys for this huge battle that is about to face them?  How do we help them be strong and stay pure, so that one day they'll be knights in shining armor for their brides?  We've got to get there first and 'the first with the most,' ... We need to be open and honest with our boys starting while Mama still gives them their bath and continuing through graduation and beyond -- explaining and answering their questions, but especially putting it all in to the context of God's gift for marriage alone.  Establishing that frankness and communication from the very start will really pay off when they enter the testosterone years.  

Understanding what's going on is not nearly enough for our boys, though, especially as they become teens.  We need to prepare them to look for the snares our enemy lays for them, give them tools to help them fight temptation, and make sure they have accountability that helps them stand firm.  Too many mothers we talk to are in denial that their sons are old enough or sinful enough (hint: we all are) to face these temptations.  That's sad, because their sons need their help!

We can help them, too, by praying for them.  We need to pray for protection for them and pray they'll be strong enough to flee temptation -- and pray for the princesses they will one day claim!"
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Wow.  These are HARD things that we're talking about.  And hard things to THINK about, especially if our sons are young.  But NOW is the time to be preparing them for what's to come...whether that is tomorrow, or ten years down the road.  NOW is the time for us to be praying for them to be strong against temptation (of all sorts!), and to pray for them to be surrounded by friends who will hold them accountable.  (And praying for God to give us the wisdom and words when speaking with our sons about these matters.)  

What verse(s) in today's ten prayers stuck out to you?  Have your son(s) faced challenges similar to what Daniel faced?  How have they handled them in the past?  How can you help them handle challenges in the future in a way that honors God?  Feel free to comment here or on the facebook group page.  Your thoughts are so encouraging and enlightening to me!  THANK YOU for sharing!

I will be praying for God to give you strength and endurance, and for Him to move in the hearts of your sons.  

1 comment:

Sharla said...

We haven't had to deal much with this issue since our boys are still young, but I already see it coming. We are very particular about what they watch on TV and especially what music they listen to. However, not everyone is, and not even all our church friends are. When they hear some of the popular music at a friends house and come home singing it and want me to put it on my ipod (which they love to listen to) we have to tell them why we don't listen to that particular song. I know it's hard for the kids to deal with the peer pressure because it's hard as a parent to deal with it at times. I often get tired of hearing, "you can't shield them from it all forever". No, I can't. But, I can shield them while they are under my charge and hopefully during this time I will teach them about purity and they will be able to guard their own hearts one day.