Does this grow my relationship with Jesus?

Kathy and I had the privilege and blessing of caring for two of our grandchildren on a recent Saturday evening. Our son, Andrew, was working as an air traffic controller. But then again, Kathy was also called into work at Mat Su Regional Medical Center that evening. So, I had the joy of feeding Jackson and Kendall, caring for them and putting them to bed. We ate some chicken and dumplings for supper which Kathy had prepared beforehand. Our supper included salad from the garden, and some berry pie Kathy had also cooked. Kendall read a devotion after supper before we left the table. Then, after Andrew left for work, and after the dishes were done, I asked Kendall if they wanted to watch a movie together. I was surprised at Kendall’s reply. “I’ll watch “Black Widow” on my I-Pad.”

Life changes for every generation. My grandchildren have technology that, when I was a child, I never dreamed would even exist. For example, Jackson was playing “Minecraft” on his technology with one of my other grandchildren who was at his home 5 miles away. I don’t even own an I-Pad. I have never played Minecraft. Life is different than when I grew up.

I had two responses for Kendall. First, I told my granddaughter, “I thought we could all watch a movie together, not do things separately.” But, my second response was that I asked Kendall, “What does that movie teach?” I believe the wisdom which God shares through St. Paul to the Christians in Philippi. “8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9) Christians are called to think about, to focus on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Thoughts on such healthy topics bear fruit in our lives. I know that “Black Widow” is a “Marvel” movie. But, I have not seen that movie. Not knowing what was in the show, I was concerned about the content, the language, the sexual situations, the violence, and the values. My granddaughter is only 10 years old.

But, children are not the only ones who should have concern about what goes into their minds and hearts and souls. I try to ask myself, all of us should ask, if the movies, the music, the reading material, the TV shows we give our attention to are feeding our faith. Do these different media bring us closer to our Savior, or perhaps damage our relationship with our Lord? Do we grow in our faith and Christian values through what we watch, or listen to, or read? Or, is our faith assaulted and our relationship with Jesus weakened?

Life is different than when I grew up. Situations do change, but the Lord does not change. God’s changeless character was good news for the Israelites when the Lord spoke through the prophet Malachi. “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” (Malachi 3:6) God’s faithful love for the Israelites caused Him to act in mercy, even when the people deserved punishment. The writer to the Hebrews reminds the people of that New Testament church, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, is the same . . . forever.

Jesus, who does not change, therefore taught, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) God’s word remains the same. The world may change, but God’s truth does not change. We should want to grow closer to our true, right, and pure Lord.

My children sometimes tell me that I am old-fashioned. But I want my grandchildren to know Jesus and His saving love. I want them to consider what is true, noble, right, and pure. I want them to follow Jesus in faith and in obedience. So I am concerned about what they put into their minds.

I have quite a few movies, many purchased for the family or for church groups to watch. I pointed Kendall to some family movies and suggested she might choose one of those. Kendall chose to watch, “The Wizard of Oz.” I called Jackson, made popcorn, and the 3 of us watched the movie together. We talked about home, and about brains and heart and courage. We said a prayer and they went to bed. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”