A few weeks ago, I was taking my 14-year-old to school one morning when she asked if she could play a song on the car radio. I oblige…but then the title pops up on the radio screen. A soundtrack from a very rated R movie. Knowing we need to talk about it, I calmly ask, “Do you know what that is from?” She responds, “I know it’s a movie, but I don’t know what it is.” That morning’s drive became a chance to explain that when the movies are full of junk and sexually explicit, most likely the soundtrack will be the same. Taking time to listen to the lyrics there were clearly hidden messages that seemingly went over her head since she didn’t know the plot of the movie.
Scripture tells us that Satan’s purpose is “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10.10). He’s a liar that’ll try to influence our children any way he can. As parents, we need to do what we can to help guard their eyes, hearts, and minds. Music is such an influential medium when it comes to our thoughts and emotions. We listen to a fun song and now we’re hyped up for the day. We listen to a sad song and now we want to go home and cry ourselves to sleep. We must understand that the enemy will certainly use music to influence the minds and lives of our children.
So that morning we work to talk this all out. As a mom I want to honor her for making God honoring decisions, but at the same time be able to address moments where she doesn’t. I’ve learned that I can offer positive replacements – offering to purchase music from a Christian artist or changing the radio station to something like The House or Air1. The hard thing is that it’s super easy for our kids to have access to all kinds of music through Spotify or YouTube. More reason that we must be active in our kid’s lives to help monitor and guide them in the media that they consume.
Practical Tip: Offer God-honoring options for music. (Local stations: The House 89.7; Air1 91.1. Research modern Christian artists)
At the end of the day, I want my kids to know I love and care about them. I want them to be able to come to me with questions and know that I’m trustworthy to work through them with them. And ultimately know I’m working to help protect their hearts and minds.
- Kim Koons
Music Resources: Reviews (https://www.pluggedin.com/music/); New Christian Music (https://www.ccmmagazine.com, https://www.newreleasetoday.com, https://rapzilla.com)
Check out previous weeks here: