Hollywood produces a lot of pointless movies. Some are even entertaining. Every now and then one comes along that fails to entertain, but does enlighten and educate. Sandra and I watched one of these the other night. Trust is a disturbing movie about an internet predator who begins a chat with a pretty 14 year old girl under false pretenses. After several months of online chatting they arrange to meet and the pretty young girl’s innocence is shattered.
As a parent it disturbs me how easily evil can enter the lives of my children. When I was growing up, home was a safe haven. The world was wicked still, but you could come home, lock your doors and windows, choose not to answer the phones and keep evil at bay for the most part. The home isn’t so safe anymore. With Facebook, Twitter, text messaging, chat boards, cell phones, and Youtube the big bad wolves of the world have 24/7/365 access to our vulnerable children. They can’t shut off bullying, gossip, slander, unwanted influences, and deception.
Sure, as parents we could go primitive and pull the plug on technology, but this is the world our kids have to learn to grow up in. We can’t lock them in the basement and release them at 18 years old into foreign territory. We have to teach and prepare them and hopefully they can use technology to be a light in this dark world. What man may have intended for evil, God can use for good.
This movie reminded me that I have to be on guard to protect my children. I must be diligent. They need room to grow, but they need to be assured that I am close by watching over to beat evil away. I want my children to enjoy the freedoms that they are old enough and mature enough to handle. Their childhood lasts once. I don’t want them rushing through it and no one has the right to destroy it.
Onword and Upwords by Dennis Brady 