Unfiltered
May 24
Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray.
Isaiah 9:16
“I don’t get that commercial, Mom,” Katie said, speaking of the contraceptive ad that had just run on TV. Set in a shopping atmosphere, the commercial starred several young women contemplating the purchase of items such as a trip to Paris, a miniature Eiffel Tower as the lure, a new home, also in miniature, and different exciting careers. There were many other choices, all geared to discourage the young women from having children at this time in their lives. One girl was approached by a stork carrying a bundle, assumed to be a newborn. The young girl shook her head in the negative while holding up her hand in a ‘Stop, don’t come near me’ gesture.
“Well, Honey,” Katie’s mom began, “The drug company that sells the birth control product they just advertised is hinting to young women that if they have children they won’t be able to do or have the things shown in the commercial.”
“But that’s not true!” fourteen-year-old Katie argued. “You can do all those things if you have kids!”
“No, it’s not true; and yes, you can,” her mother agreed. “Sometimes people want to make money so badly that they misrepresent their product in order to sell it. In this case they are telling young girls they must forgo motherhood if they are ever going to have vacations or careers. Katie,” Mom said, “One of the greatest privileges of being a woman is becoming a mother. Take it from me,” she smiled, “I can’t imagine life without you and your brothers.”
†
Today, just as in Old Testament times, there are those who will mislead people for profit and/or to further their philosophy. If the commercial in today’s scenario had been left unfiltered, Katie might have bought into their ideology.
Big Business doesn’t care what our kids think; they just want to generate sales. As parents, it’s our responsibility to be a filter for what the world wants our children to believe.
The decision of having or not having children should be made for the right reasons, not glamorized notions in a sales pitch.
Prayer
“Make me sensitive to the things my children see and hear, Lord. Give me the wisdom to be their filter in this world. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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