Parents Beware...

Arthur the children's cartoon, in its opening episode, features an openly homosexual marriage.

This is not a frivolous topic, nor should it be thought of as such. I will elaborate on this in a moment. However, we know that modern families encounter the necessity of both parents having to work, due to rising living costs and stagnating income. This means for large portions of the day:

Something or someone else has influence over your children.

Worldly issues are far from the periphery of the life of the believer. They are at the centre. Jesus the author of our faith, said:

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Mark 2:17 NKJV

As the author of our faith and the best example to us, if His ministry focused on calling sinners to repentence, as the salt and light of the earth, so too shall ours. We cannot relegate ourselves to the pews, surrounding ourselves only with those who are already on the journey.

To extend His kingdom as faithful servants we must claim new territory, glorifying God to those who do not yet know Him.

This is why a Christian voice on controversial issues, though not always wanted, is always warranted.

Yet our responses need work. Is it not written:
A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1 NKJV
We have seen that the Pharisee's indignation was often not that the subject matter offended or undermined God, but that it offended and undermined them. More worringly still, there was response was often not rooted in love, but self-exhalting arrogance, misleading those who looked to them to guide and instruct them in the ways of the Lord.
Does this not sound like the judgmental Christian we so often encounter?

So I preface this topic with that introduction, that you may know the intention of my words. At age 28 my concern is slowly pivoting to the next and younger generations. We are all tasked with framing the world in which they will inherit, so we all need to assist in creating an environment where they can brought up and instructed them in the ways of the Lord.
When we do not talk about controversial subjects, we cannot be surprised that the loudest voice wins the argument, and as much as you would like to separate from the world, doing so would mean sacrificing that part of His kingdom to the enemy.

I don't plan these posts, but today I was confronted with an issue that was clearly on the heart of the Father, given how early He brought the verse of the day to my attention, and having logged in afterwards to social media, saw the news about Arthur. These two instances were separated with but a moment.

I previously made a light-hearted post on not being able to watch TV, and noted that even children's television is corrupted by agenda. This should not be too surprising seeing as, though aimed at children, these "programs" are created by adults.

The subtle suggestion that ungodly behaviour is acceptable, is far more dangerous when aimed at children.
Has God not told us:
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

And just as we saw when Jesus was tempted in the wildnerness, you may know the word, but so does the devil.

It should come as no surprise then, that he is so interested in your children.
I have learnt that adults are often not capable of mature faith based debate on sexual morality, what hope do children have? Wherever you rest on this spectrum, surely we can all agree that sexuality, in ambiguity or definition, does not belong in a children's cartoon.

The fact is no longer is it just television. We have seen this relentless march of the dilution of the sexes, moving from two well defined genders to a dictionary of arbritary terms flung together, and all manner of sexual ambiguity in society.

Now it is now being subtlely implanted in the consciousness of our children, and in some parts of the world being taught in schools with California's justification that "children in kindergarten and even younger have identified as transgender".
Now we know as believers that ours is not a battle of the flesh (Ephesians 6:12), but the fullness of that discussion is for another time.

What can be seen is that when we do not say anything, the frontlines of the battlegrounds advance inward, slowly allowing ever increasing amounts of ungodly behaviour, to be promoted in ever increasing arenas.

Parents be extremely mindful of what you allow your children to watch, and who you let educate your child!

A child is so impressionable that they pick up language with nothing but observation, mimic your behaviours without you having to tell them to do so. God knows this, this is why He wants you to introduce them to Him as early as possible.
I cannot stress to you how important this is. I have seen the effect of not doing so on some of the young children I have in my life (nieces/nephews etc) you will be surprised what they have normalized before the ages of 6-10.

I remember growing up in the 90s we had 4 channels, one main TV and a smaller one for the kids many years later. Without access to streaming, on demand services, 24/7 channels and a host of other convenience, my parents would struggle to keep up with what we were watching.
How much harder the job today, when its not too long before even the fridge will have a screen and be connected to the internet.

In the school I attended, we were never told that we were a boy or a girl, we just knew! We were always taught that boys and girls were different, there was no controversy and all this in a secular school.

Today the world is a very different place.

This is a stark reminder that you simply cannot trust your children with the world, even with something as ostensibly innocent as a cartoon.

So parents take heed.

Fight for your children, do not be afraid of going into the schools and challenging what they are they teaching your children.

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