by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

Psalm 78:6,7
That they may arise and tell them to their children, that they should put their confidence in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.

My son Benjamin was standing in the kitchen, nibbling on some barbecue potato chips. We hadn't really had any substantive, meaningful conversations in a week or more, so I'm certain I stunned him with a question I asked for no other reason than staying "connected" with a 14-year-old boy going through puberty. I asked, "You been keeping your mind clean at school, Son?"

I paused for emphasis, not that the question needed any help. Then I added, "You know, pornography-the kind of sleazy stuff boys pass around and look at?"

He looked me straight in the eye with a half-grin, like I'd been reading his mail, and said, "Funny you should ask. Today at school a friend brought a Penthouse magazine into the locker room. But I didn't look at it. I just turned and walked out."

"Good for you! Good for you!" I said twice, to let my affirming words soak into this growing boy's heart. The big grin that made its way across his face told me he was proud he had done what was right.

The sad truth is that many parents just don't have the nerve to ask teenagers such an intrusive question. It's as if something happens to parents when their kids become teenagers and they don't know how to talk to them.

Adolescence is the age when kids should be learning how to bring their Christian faith into the realities of everyday life. It's one thing to teach your kids about God, as Psalm 78 says, but it's quite another thing to teach them how to walk with God and avoid temptations such as pornography.

I'll let you in on another secret: Your teenagers probably want you to talk to them. And if you doubt that, I've got some proof...in the next devotion.

Prayer:

For one another that your faith would be marked by the same courage that the Old Testament saints used to battle their enemies.

Discuss: Why is it so threatening to talk to teenagers about such critical issues? As a couple, discuss your level of comfort.

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