By Al Menconi
A concerned mother was surveying our display table after a seminar looking for an appropriate CD for her adult son who wasn't living for Jesus. "What kind of music does he listen to now?" I inquired.
"Rock music. It's loud and sets my nerves on edge. I know that it's bad, and I want to replace it with Christian music. Can you show me something he would like?"
Although I wanted to "make a sale," I didn't think she should get her son Christian music at that time. Let me explain why.
When you say you want some "rock music," it's like saying you want a book about history without knowing what "history" you want. American? European? Maybe the history of Spanish dances in California between 1769 and 1835? (This actually was a history paper I wrote in college.) Just as you need to know what kind of history you want to read before you buy a book, you have to know what kind of rock music someone listens to before you buy them an album. If you give your child the wrong style of music, it's worse than giving him nothing at all. How can that be?
Remember when your elderly auntie sent you child-size booties for Christmas even though you were a teenager? She meant well, but her gift was an insult to you. Why? Her lack of knowledge about your size and age, likes and dislikes, showed that she didn't really know you and didn't care to know about you. If she cared, she could have easily made the effort to find out your shoe size. Her gift told you that she was "out-of-touch" when it came to your life. Getting someone the wrong music can be just as insulting.
"Instead of getting your son some music he probably won't listen to," I suggested to this mother, "why not spend more time praying for him instead? Remember, his problem is not his music. That's just a symptom of a deeper need. His problem is he isn't allowing Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. Why not pray specifically that your son would live for Jesus and let the music take care of itself?"
She was surprised that I didn't try to sell her some music she didn't need, and she promised to spend more time in prayer for her son. After she left the table, I began talking with others and didn't remember our conversation until months later, when I received a letter from her reminding me what I had said.
She had gone home that evening and begun praying earnestly for her son. Previously she had been praying less than five minutes a day for him "to turn his life around." After our conversation, she began praying 10 minutes a day and, more specifically, that God would open his eyes to the gospel.
Within three months of beginning to pray, her son wrote her that he had rededicated his life to Christ and that he was listening to some wonderful worship music that he wanted to share with her!! What a dramatic and specific answer to prayer. She thanked me for suggesting that she pray instead of "throwing" music at her son. Now she knew what kind of music he listened to and asked for advice about what CDs she could send him. What a blessing!
Remember that we are told in 1 John 5:14-15 that if we ask anything in His will, he hears our request and will answer it. John immediately then challenged believers in the next verse to apply this principle by asking God to bring life to unbelievers.
Do you pray for your children? I'm sure you do! Instead of forcing your child to listen to Christian music, I'd like to challenge you to pray that God would open your child's eyes to the gospel. When that happens, it's likely his music and other forms of entertainment will begin to change as well.
Reprinted with permission. For more information on Al Menconi Ministries, click here.
A concerned mother was surveying our display table after a seminar looking for an appropriate CD for her adult son who wasn't living for Jesus. "What kind of music does he listen to now?" I inquired.
"Rock music. It's loud and sets my nerves on edge. I know that it's bad, and I want to replace it with Christian music. Can you show me something he would like?"
Although I wanted to "make a sale," I didn't think she should get her son Christian music at that time. Let me explain why.
When you say you want some "rock music," it's like saying you want a book about history without knowing what "history" you want. American? European? Maybe the history of Spanish dances in California between 1769 and 1835? (This actually was a history paper I wrote in college.) Just as you need to know what kind of history you want to read before you buy a book, you have to know what kind of rock music someone listens to before you buy them an album. If you give your child the wrong style of music, it's worse than giving him nothing at all. How can that be?
Remember when your elderly auntie sent you child-size booties for Christmas even though you were a teenager? She meant well, but her gift was an insult to you. Why? Her lack of knowledge about your size and age, likes and dislikes, showed that she didn't really know you and didn't care to know about you. If she cared, she could have easily made the effort to find out your shoe size. Her gift told you that she was "out-of-touch" when it came to your life. Getting someone the wrong music can be just as insulting.
"Instead of getting your son some music he probably won't listen to," I suggested to this mother, "why not spend more time praying for him instead? Remember, his problem is not his music. That's just a symptom of a deeper need. His problem is he isn't allowing Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. Why not pray specifically that your son would live for Jesus and let the music take care of itself?"
She was surprised that I didn't try to sell her some music she didn't need, and she promised to spend more time in prayer for her son. After she left the table, I began talking with others and didn't remember our conversation until months later, when I received a letter from her reminding me what I had said.
She had gone home that evening and begun praying earnestly for her son. Previously she had been praying less than five minutes a day for him "to turn his life around." After our conversation, she began praying 10 minutes a day and, more specifically, that God would open his eyes to the gospel.
Within three months of beginning to pray, her son wrote her that he had rededicated his life to Christ and that he was listening to some wonderful worship music that he wanted to share with her!! What a dramatic and specific answer to prayer. She thanked me for suggesting that she pray instead of "throwing" music at her son. Now she knew what kind of music he listened to and asked for advice about what CDs she could send him. What a blessing!
Remember that we are told in 1 John 5:14-15 that if we ask anything in His will, he hears our request and will answer it. John immediately then challenged believers in the next verse to apply this principle by asking God to bring life to unbelievers.
Do you pray for your children? I'm sure you do! Instead of forcing your child to listen to Christian music, I'd like to challenge you to pray that God would open your child's eyes to the gospel. When that happens, it's likely his music and other forms of entertainment will begin to change as well.
Reprinted with permission. For more information on Al Menconi Ministries, click here.