I am so fortunate to serve the 70 West family, working under the oversight of our five godly elders and having the blessing to work alongside a true joy, Billy Hayes. 70 West has given me the opportunity to bless many here in Garland County and now, through our online ministry, folks around the world. I find great satisfaction when I can help people and bring them closer to God but occasionally, I fail. One of those failures happened almost three weeks ago when I received an email from a frustrated mom.
Last fall this mom’s 16-year daughter had started dating the captain of their high school football team. In the words of the mom, “This was her daughter’s first popular boy to date.” To make a long story short, the boy kept on applying pressure on the girl, asking her to send him inappropriate photos of herself. She finally knuckled under the boy’s pressure and texted him several improper selfies. They broke up just before Christmas. You may have already guessed what happen next. The boy shared the photos with his friends, and they shared it with their friends. In the words of the daughter, “Everyone at school has seen the photos.”
The mom, who has seen our online classes, reached out to me hoping I could somehow help. It’s easy to say, “Close the barn door” after the horses have already got out. Hindsight is better than foresight but what could I do for this mom and her daughter? We talked about the need to always project a Christian image. We talked about the sin of lust. We talked about the almost impossibility of deleting what’s out there on the internet. In the end there wasn’t a lot I could do to help with the immediate problem of the girl having to face her friends when she returns to school. I could only help to hopefully stop future problems. I share this in the hope similar situations never happen in other families. Please remember, what goes on the internet (photos, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) stays on the internet! Before you post something ask yourself the question, “Would Jesus post this?” May we never fail to reflect Jesus 24/7 to the world!
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