Candice YamnitzThere are so many dangerous messages in books and movies to watch out for in our kids hands. And no, I don’t mean the new books with explicit content. I mean the sly messages we’ve heard for decades.
Here’s a list of them:
- Follow your heart.
- Be yourself.
- God won’t give you more than you can handle.
- You are enough.
There’s so much the Bible says about each one of these things. The culture is soaked with messages contrary to the Bible and they sound so good.
It took someone telling me that “Follow your heart” is indeed not a good way to live. It’s contrary to the Bible.
Where did I learn this?
Movies, popular voices, and books taught me this and not my parents.
It’s a dangerous message.
I’m not saying you should ignore your heart. In fact, you should test it, measure it, and protect it.
It’s usually more like a thermometer rather than a compass.
Why do I say it’s a dangerous message?
Because my heart is wild and fickle!
It wants what it wants.
It relies on my emotional rollercoaster and it has led me down scary paths.
The Bible says it better than me:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Jeremiah 17:9
So, what do we follow instead?
If you know me, you know I’m going to say Jesus.
And we learn about Him and His teachings through the Bible.
When making decisions, pray, read the Bible, ask wise friends who aren’t “yes people,” and do research.
Therefore, I urge you parents to be vigilant in teaching our children the Truth and pointing out lies when we see them in stories. I urge you to try to find stories that point us to our God.
I’ll continue to post more about the other lies in my Instagram posts: https://instagram.com/candiceyamnitz
Have a fabulous day and let’s continue the conversation in the comments.
Kristen Gwen
Elise Haroldson
Carol Eaton
Thank you, Candice!! Such a good reminder. Unfortunately, some of these lines can come from church friends (and some pastors), which makes navigating them even harder … and clinging to the Bible that much more important. ❤️
This is why I have to mention it all the more. Culture seeps into the church. Honestly, I needed to be told not to follow my heart.
So true. As a young reader, I swallowed lots of “quiet” messages that didn’t build faith and trust in Jesus. It’s hard and overwhelming for parents to help their teens navigate through all the books and information that falls into their world. I’m thankful for this Storytellersquad who try to shed light on books and authors.