Oh, Be Careful

As I was growing up, I was always taught to think before speaking or acting, to be mindful of what I absorbed into my brain--whether through music, books, television or movies, etc.--and to guard my heart, holding to Biblical truths.  These things were reiterated and emphasized time and time again by my parents, Sunday school teachers and youth group leaders, and various other role models in my life.  Now that I'm an adult, I can see the value of these lessons and how wise it is to teach children such things.  And, I am thankful that these things were held in such high importance to those who had greatest influence on molding and shaping me.

Train up a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not depart from it"

(Proverbs 22:6).

But I don't think I fully realized just how vital these lessons were (and still are) until I became a mother and became responsible for filtering out what was acceptable or unacceptable, appropriate or inappropriate for another human being.  I don't think I really examined how closely I held to these lessons until I realized that little eyes would always be watching me, observing me, imitating me, and learning from me how to navigate through life.  And as my husband and I are navigating our way through this journey of parenting a little one, we have come to the conclusion that we must set the precedent now as to what we will allow or not allow our son to be exposed to.  He may be too young to comprehend all that goes on around him at this time, but one day, he will understand.  When that day comes, my husband and I are responsible for training him and equipping him to filter out the bad from the good.

As I have been thinking on this, I am reminded of a couple of songs that I've learned and listened to and sang along with over the years.  The first I learned as a child, and back then, it was probably no more to me than a catchy song we sang at church.  But now, I see the significance of it and the lesson that can be gleaned from it. 

You may know it too.

"Oh, be careful little eyes what you see.

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see.

For the Father up above is looking down in love.

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see."

And if you go on to sing the additional verse, you know that it continues with "oh, be careful little ears what you hear...oh, be careful little tongue what you say...oh, be careful little hands what you do...oh, be careful little feet where you go...oh, be careful little heart whom you trust...oh, be careful little mind what you think."  We all explore and learn about the world around us through what we see, what we hear, what we say or what others say, what we do, where we go, whom we allow to have influence in our lives, and the thoughts that we think.  This shows us just how important it is to be equipped with the knowledge of how God desires us to respond to the world around us, what we should allow into our lives, and what we should filter right back out.  After all, garbage in...garbage out. 

The second song came out in 2007 around the time I was transitioning from high school to college.  It speaks to the slippery slide we can find ourselves on if we choose to remove the filters, even for a moment.  Because after all, it doesn't happen all at once.  It's a slow fade.

       

As Calan grows, it is my prayer and heart’s desire that he will become a young man who is loving and kind, who does not become jealous of what someone else is or has, who is humble and respectful of others, who has a servant heart and has self control, who does not let his temper get the best of him, who is patient and gracious and merciful...forgiving others even if they don’t deserve it by the world’s standards, who holds Truth as the most important possession he has.  I pray he grows to be a young man who loves the Lord and aims to live his life accordingly. I pray he is a peaceful and gentle man.  And I pray that he comes to discover, as I have, how important it is to hold to the things we were taught as a child—to refrain from speaking if it is not true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, or kind; to be choosey about what is watched and listened to and repeated; to hold to God’s Word because it is the ultimate life line. I pray that he too will learn to guard his heart for it is the wellspring of life.