Today’s guest post is from my brother Stew…enjoy!  Dinnertime Devotional 19 is linked at the bottom of the post….

A few weeks ago I shocked the world and went to a Texas Rangers game.  It was a good game and, for the most part, the crowd was well-behaved.

I happened to be sitting beside a father and son.  I’m not good at guessing ages, but I would say the father was in his upper 20’s to early 30’s.  And the son was around 5 years old.

The father was explaining certain aspects and strategy of the game to the boy.  I would listen and agree, internally, with most of his points.

As the game progressed, however, I noticed that the man’s language was turning coarser.  As he continued talking to the child, he would use foul language when talking about a player or the game.

It broke my heart.  A father and son taking in America’s past time.  And it had to be soiled with four letter words and calling a player “stupid” or “dumb”.

That got me to thinking.  I believe that God-fearing Christian families try their best to protect and shelter young ears from such language.  However, we have to be on guard, vigilant and filter what we say.  We can avoid television programs or music with “dirty” words.

“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving,” Ephesians 5:4 (ESV).

But, when children go to school or hang out at the playground with other boys and girls there are fewer filters.  Christian families can only wait to see if they’ve gotten through to their children about what’s good to say and what they should ignore.

I can only hope and pray that the boy I sat next to at the game wouldn’t imitate his dad and use bad language.  But, we all know that’s highly unlikely.  Children are a sponge.  They soak up everything they see and hear around them.

Psalm 19:14 (ESV), “Let the word of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer”.

The Texas Rangers won the ball game that night, but the victory was spoiled because of the actions of a father.

Thanks to Stew for some great thoughts!  We should all watch our language.  Even things that aren’t “swear words” might not be appropriate for young ears.  Help keep those precious hearts pure.  You can grab Dinnertime Devotionals 19 here >>> Dinnertime Devotionals 19