The TV. The grocery store. The playground. School. Church.
Skin. Everywhere.
Living in this world is downright discouraging sometimes as a mom of boys. You don’t have to be on a beach. It seems everywhere you turn you can see either images or real people (yes, even other moms) who decide not to dress modestly, and therefore put our husband’s and sons’ eyes at risk. It catches us off-guard. It seeks to destroy.
I do not think the women who dress this way are out to destroy. Most of the time, they probably don’t realize what they are doing in revealing parts of their body that were meant only for their husbands and God to see. It is a spiritual battle, one that we cannot fully understand, not one of mere flesh and blood.
This discouragement can bring us down quick. Personally, as a woman who lives in a house full of boys, this issue can throw me into a full-blown depressive state if I let it. I begin to feel hopeless. It feels like the battle for our boys’ purity is an uphill one. As if there is not a chance they will avoid falling into a pit of sexual sin in this world. And therefore, their hearts are doomed to become tainted.
And yet…there is Hope! A ray of sunshine that breaks through the clouds. We must find this hope and reflect it in order for our boys to truly be victorious. There are many weapons we can give our sons to help them fight the temptation of lust. There are many resources to help us equip them, some found right here on the MOB society. We must not be naïve. Every single one of our boys will need to fight. Not one will be exempt. It is not only important to equip our boys for this battle, but also to check our own hearts and attitudes.
We cannot foretell who will walk through the door next or who happens to adorn the latest magazine cover in the checkout line. What can we do when faced with this seemingly hopeless situation with our boys? We need to set our eyes on the One who is our hope, and believe that He really can and will walk with our boys into a different future—a reality better than the hopelessness we see in this world.
We cannot control the eyes (or thoughts) of our husbands or sons, but we can pray. Pray that they will avert their eyes and their thoughts will be pure. Pray that the ones who are revealing more of themselves than God intended will be brought to truth, and will find their worth in Christ alone. Pray for protection, right then and there, for all the boys that we love.
Adopting this attitude of hope does not mean our sons will never falter. God promises not to give them more temptation than they can bear, and he always will give them a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). But if they do fall, God also promises redemption when they turn and choose to walk in the Light (Jeremiah 15:19).
We must choose hope instead of despair for our boys. If their own mother does not hold out hope that they can rise above this culture, then they are doomed to fail. This battle has already been won. Our sons can be victorious in the Lord.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age–looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” Titus 2:11-12
So, next time this world literally “flashes” before your eyes, where will you put your hope?
Emily is a mom of 4 boys ages 5 and under…that pretty much says it all about how she spends her days! She is married to an amazing man who loves the Lord and his family, and recently they have been called to embark upon a journey of homeschooling their boys. She loves coffee, bible study, good books, and just living life alongside other women who don’t have it all together. She is thankful for God’s faithful love & patience with her as she learns how to walk this road of raising little boys to be strong men in Him. Emily blogs at www.raisinupwarriors.blogspot.com.
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The topic of this post has sure been on my mind the past week. In school last week my son’s 6th grade class was using google images to search for photos of planets. My boy was assigned to Venus and inadvertantly brought up an entire page of topless women. Since he has not yet noticed girls he was horrified and promptly got off that page but I know that once we see something it’s always there somewhere.
Tonya´s last [type] ..Lent
This is ever present on my mind. As I watch TV and see scantily clad underwear models, or bikini dressed girls spanning the 55″ screen width, I wonder how I will teach my boys to resist the temptations our society deems acceptable. Thank you for your post!
HeatherB´s last [type] ..You won’t Believe This
LOVE this post, Emily. Love your heart for your boys. I pray I teach mine to raise that Sword of God’s Word. With it they can fight off the lies of the enemy. Blessings, friend.
Thank you for your wonderful post today. My husband read it too and was encouraged by it. As a mom of 3 boys and 4 girls, it is tough. we have had some issues come up in our family. Instilling modesty in boys and girls is a constant battle. Growing up, i had an inclination to be more modest than the rest of the family, but, i did not fully realize what it meant and why until about 10 years into my marriage. So, i am learning and trying to teach my girls young to cover their bodies and ENJOY it, to embrace modest with JOY. It is a privilege for us women to know when we wear modest clothing that we are empowering our men and those around us to be their BEST. We can still be attractive in a sincere way and don’t have to wear burlap bags to accomplish that task. God bless you all!