[Biblemat] S) MAMAS, DON'T LET YOUR BABIES GROW UP TO BE...CARNAL

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my
file.  Use to the glory of God.

MAMAS, DON'T LET YOUR BABIES GROW UP TO BE...
CARNAL.

     Perhaps you are familiar with the tune from the Willie Nelson song.  
While Willie warned about the tough life of a
cowboy, there are other things that, as mamas, we need to
understand about raising our kids -- and especially our girls.
Perhaps some of us need a strong 21st century wake-up call.

     We have a generation of girls who are being bombarded
with a "Hollywood" recommendation for how they should dress, talk, act, 
movies to see, music, etc.  It is everywhere!
How sad it is that a venue such as Hollywood can exert such 
a controlling influence over our children so that ad-by-ad, 
commercial-by-commercial, store-by-store--our kids get caug-
ht up in the system.  It is a controlling culture power that can-
not be denied.

     In Phil. 4:8 we are instructed to think on things that are
pure.  To do so, we must 1) desire it, and 2) be aware of what
enables or disables our thoughts.  For example, have you ever gone shopping 
with your daughter and noticed the kind
of underwear they are encouraged to buy?  It is designed to 
be sexy.  Why do our elementary, pre-teen, and even teen
girls need that?  The fact is, they don't.  The Bible reminds us
tht purity starts in the mind.  Young girls weary sexy clothes
(outer or under) are the breeding ground for something--and 
it isn't purity.  By the way, this change in style didn't appear
suddenly but has been a gradual introduction into our "shop-
ping world" and many have fallen into the trap.

     Satan uses many such things to "dim our light" (Matt. 5:
16).  The next time you go to the Mall, look closely at stores
such as Pac Sun, Forever 21, Delia's, etc., and observe the
way the mannequins are dressed or ...look at the posters modeling today's 
clothing styles.  Again, the appeal is to the
"sexy."  Hip slung jeans, tight fitting and mid-riff showing 
shirts are the fashion hallmark for today's girls.  While writing
this article, I typed in "low-rise jeans" and found that there 
are 581,000 sites on the Internet under those search words.
Again and again the key word used to describe these jeans:
"sexy."  Moms, are you clued in?  You can believe the fashion
industry is.

     Jeans are practical and comfortable and now they are...
sexy.  Low rise or the new ultra low rise is determined by 
measuring from the bottom of the zipper to the top.  Low is
6.0 inches while the Ultra-Low is 5.5 inches.  And here is a 
description from the Internet: "You will love the sexy low rise
waist...In (brand) Sexy Cut, you have a fit that does not sacri-
fice comfort for style."  A recent article from Milwaukee's 
Journal Sentinel quoted mothers who are outraged at the 
emphasis of "sexy" clothes for young girls.  One mom said, 
"I don't think that girls realize the effect these clothes can 
have on boys...young ladies are innocently wearing these
clothes and can easily get stereotyped as sleazy or promis-
cous..."  Another mom stated that she is worried about the
kind of self-image her daughter has and the sexy clothes, she
says, are not helping.

     Instruction is given in 1 Tim. 2:9 to dress modestly.  We 
are missing the mark if we think this doesn't include these
types of jeans along with suggestive slogan T-shirts and crop
tops.  Paul conjoined modesty with decency and that applies
to deportment and dress as outward signs of inward purity.

     In a recent poll of teenage boys who are trying to live right-
eous lives, the question was asked: "What is the number one
thing that causes you to feel sexually tempted?"  The consen-
sus seemed to be voiced by one teenager who said, "I think
the worst thing is the way girls dress in church.  It's like church is 
supposed to be a place where you don't have to face temptation and you walk in and 
bam!  There it is.  How
do you avoid that?"  Moms, that is a very good question.

     Or take the effects of television.  In a recent review of the
show "Sex and the City," the web site www.pluggedinonline.
com states that HBO has "made a killing selling Sex for six
seasons straight."  It further states that editing brought the
series from a TV-MA to a TV-14.  But listen to this...only because now only 
naked backsides are shown along with sex-
ual positions.  Whoa!  Please excuse me, but does that make
it okay for our young people to watch?  Television has imper-
ceptibly desensitized us to sin.

     As mothers it is essential that we be vigilant to protect the
innocence of our children and help them set their minds on
things above (Col. 3:2).  This is a daily task (sometimes hour-
ly!) and requires investing time in the lives of our precious
ones.  To every mother given the responsibility of raising 
girls -- please help your daughter make choices that show off
her heart, not her body.    ----- Julie Adams in Biblical Insights
Vol. 6, No. 8, August 2006.
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