We live in a difficult society.
We are over stimulated. We are desensitized. The days grow harder and harder with what looks like no end in sight for the future generations. I've had the privilege of reading some fascinating works of Old Testament times while reading the Old Testament. I found myself jealous. As usual, I was frustrated by the fact that the Israelites get the smoke and fire and jack things up while we are left with faith. (It can also make me feel more justified in my ability to sin.) Even a group that watched the miracles of heaven were able to be distracted from the pillar of fire that led them. It almost seems like things got harder from that point on. Now, we live in a world of walking on eggshells to not offend or puffing out our chests to claim what's ours and trying to find a happy medium between the two that both gives us a sense of worth and value without creating drama for others to live in and and and. When did we get like this? I know I'm going to speak out of turn here because every generation will have something to say, but I feel that the rapid expanse in technology has truly ruined our minds and our spirits. Let's take a trip down memory lane (what's left of it. Sometimes I feel like mine is under construction.) Cartoons used to be something else. I love the Flinstones scenes where anyone is running through a house. Over and over through three rooms on repeat. The longest houses ever. And sure enough if Barney did something dumb, Fred was there to bop him on the head. Or perhaps we should look to Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote, Daffy, Yosemite Same, or any other of WB's beloved characters. The violence that could play out in just a few short minutes of cartoons. Death was unimaginable because they could all get blown up. The same could be said of Tom & Jerry. As time went on, parents cried out, "The violence!! These cartoons are teaching our children to shoot, hit, set off rockets, blah blah blah." Then the onset of video games came forth and took over the scene for violence while the WB took on wittier cartoons like Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and such. Something strange then came into our lives. Violent cartoons were being booed. Violent video games replaced them. And instead of the straight-up-hit-em-over-the-head-with-a-frying-pan violence we become infatuated with the battles in elements. My mother was slick in the early 90's. We weren't allowed to watch Captain Planet. Why? Because they called on the elements to "fight" whatever it was. At the time I was totally confused. Why wouldn't my mother want us to watch a show that taught us how to take care of the earth? It wasn't until I was older that I understood what she was flustered by. The elements of the earth are called upon by witches and others in the darkness. We are told to call upon the Lord, not the creation. The Bible even calls Satan the prince of the air, ruler of this world, angel of light. These terms are the same elements that things like Pokemon and Skylanders use to fight. And this is the scary part. I finally get it. I get why my mother was anti- Captain Planet. In our continual state of over stimulation, we are also desensitizing ourselves. What was once a clear message of violence -WHACK! - is now a subtle battle between good and evil with weapons that nobody even understands. It has been a slow and steady slip, but there it goes. The devil had his playground "teaching kids about violence." Please, we are human, we know violence from birth. It didn't take Elmer Fudd's shotgun to teach people how to gun down innocent lives. It's the heart of a man. Parents didn't want to take responsibility for raising their children so they blamed the cartoons. And the devil said, "Excellent." He started a different movement. He started on a new idea of combat. Random fights of made up animals. Yeah, Pokemon "in the wild" were always just wanting to live their lives in peace. Then "trainers" came and caught them and forced them to use their powers for their own purpose. The pokemon then became fighters. Oh my goodness there is too much to go through. I wish I could just show the similarities between it all. I wouldn't do it justice if I could. But this is where the battle lies. Violence or not, cuss words or clean, animated, human, whatever the variety of the items being taken in by children is sifted through the heart. And that should be a parent's domain until they are old enough to make those decisions on their own. This certainly is tricky. In the same home where Captain Planet was banned, Pokemon was watched. I don't know why, probably because my dad thought it was funny. Perhaps it was because my brother and I were older. Maybe it was because it involved these odd creatures. But at some point my mother didn't take a stand against it. Now it's my turn to be the mom and figure out what is okay for my kids. During a time where my son was introduced to Skylanders and becoming an addict, I sought council with my pastor's wife - also in charge of our children's ministry - also a dear friend of 15 years. I expressed my concern for the use of elements and she understood. She had the same come up with her boys. She offered the solution of teaching about how God created each element and what its purpose is in God's kingdom. Wow. Hold on. There is more there isn't there? I took it a step further. I taught my son about how Satan "has control" of this world until Christ's return. I told him everything I knew in the most honest yet easily digestible version. Because in the end, doesn't everything become renewed in Christ? There are slippery slopes everywhere you look. The problem is that what may be a slippery slope in my house, may be a solid rocky road for you, and vice versa. The issue is an issue of the heart. Look at alcohol. If I stick a glass of red wine between a recovering addict and a non-drinker, I'm going to have two very different reactions. And even within the realm of each of those persons, there are differences of the heart. The non-drinker may say, "If you want it, go for it," or they may say, "Don't touch it, it's evil!" In our overstimulated, desensitized world we have not only desensitized ourselves from potential harm, but also the Holy Spirit. The overstimulation of life tunes out the still small voice that tells us to walk away, or walk to. We are so focused on being anti-this and anti-that, that we miss the picture of being FOR something. So often the something we are not for are someones. This is a difficult society. We are pushed (continually) to stand and speak and give our opinions, but rarely are we pushed to move. We overstimulate ourselves and others only to desensitize ourselves to the needs of those around us. And with each item we begin a fight on, we often lose the heart of the issue before we see the battle won. If we bring it all back to the heart of God, we can change the world. I have been given a great opportunity to work on the hearts of my children, but also the hearts of my readers. Perhaps I have been reading too much of heaven (is there such a thing???) but I cannot help but fall in love with what is said over and over again. There will be restoration to this earth. Everything will be reclaimed for God and his purpose, and ours! I hear songs all the time that are sung by secular artists in the secular music world that are completely ordained by God. Words that come from scriptures, whether the writer and artist know it or not. Or even the inspiration that speaks to the souls of the hurting from the lyrics. Isn't that just an example of reclamation? Money is not evil. The love of money is the root of much evil. Perhaps pokemon are not evil, just the love of them. Or alcohol. Or books. Or whatever it is that stimulates our minds more than Jesus. Slow things down, and become more sensitive. See the world. Be in it, not of it. And search for hearts.
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