Got Any Sand in Your Teeth?
by Steve Ensley
I often talk about my friends in these articles. I am blessed with so many good friends --- men and women who are strong spiritual warriors and loving people who are full of life. One such person is Rev. Charles Antekeier. Yesterday, I had the honor and privilege of sharing a meal with him and it was really great since we had not seen each other in over a year. Yes, we keep in touch by E-mail, but there is nothing like sharing a meal together. Actually, I ate a meal and he had a cup of coffee, since he was on his way to another home to share a meal with them and their family.
Anyway, as he often does, he shared an awesome word picture with me that I would like to pass along to you. I believe you who are parents will easily relate to this.
Did you ever notice that very young children (toddler age) put everything in their mouths? They will eat anything! Picture a father of a young toddler taking his beloved child to a playground and on the playground is the ever-present sandbox! Oh joy! The child heads right for the sandbox and before long his mouth is full of dirt! Somehow he has been eating the dirt!
In the meantime, the father has spied an ice cream cart and has purchased an ice cream bar for his child only to find a child with a mouth full of dirt. Of course, the child gets all excited and wants the ice cream right away even with a mouth full of dirt! But the father knows the dirt will ruin the ice cream and turn something he meant to be very good into something dirty and polluted and not at all healthy. The father knows the child will need to spit out the sand and clean out the dirt in order to truly enjoy the ice cream treat.
Our first thought is why does the child do this? What could he possibly be thinking?
So here we go! Aren't we, as adults, a lot like the little child when it comes to God the Father and our use of the Internet? We go into the Internet "playground" to have fun. Our Father goes with us. When we spot the "sandbox" of graphic images, we promptly forget all about our Father, and we fill our minds with the "dirt" of some of these images. However, God the Father had planned something better for us. He delivered an awesome "treat" to us in giving us His Son, Jesus Christ. He has provided the "sweetness and joy" of eternal life and yet we insist on filling our heads with dirt, ruining the "treat" and not even thinking of what might be to come.
But the Father is patient with us. He knows we need to "spit out" the dirt before we can really receive the Son. We have to repent of "the dirt" in order to truly "taste" of the Son. We have to clean up! And we have to keep the "dirt" out of the mouth of our minds in order to fully enjoy the Son.
Like little children, we can refuse to "spit out" the dirt and demand the treat, but we will be the ones deprived of the uncorrupted sweetness. The sweetness is still there, but the dirt has come between the gift and the full enjoyment of the gift. The Father knows the truth. The question is, will we children believe Him, stop eating the dirt, spit out the dirt we have already eaten, and experience the full sweetness of Jesus Christ?
So many people think that Internet filters should be aimed at children, but the real truth is that it is the adults who should be diligent about using Internet protection filters. Our own surveys indicate that, of the Internet tragedies reported to AFO, almost 9 out of 10 victims involve adults and not children. Of course, the children are always affected when their parents struggle. Please don't be fooled into thinking only children need Internet filters. We all need them!
So now the question is: How about you? Will it be ice cream or dirt?
God bless all of you! I certainly appreciate your many kind comments about these articles and I will say, again, to please feel free to use them in any way that might help or benefit others. You can find all of my articles
Your brother in Jesus Christ!
Steve