How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word. Psalms 119:9
Pure what? When we think about the notion of purity it can be too easy to think in terms of what is not there. 'Being pure is not doing this, that and the other thing.' But then, what are you left with? Pure what? That's backward. Purity is defined in terms of what is, and not by what is not. And the purity that this verse is talking about is pure devotion to Jesus, a devotion that affects all of life. It is possible for us, both young and old, to be so given to Jesus that it can be labeled 'pure devotion'. However, is that the goal of so many parents when it comes to their kids? And I'm talking about evangelical parents. Is pure devotion to Jesus at the top of the list when it comes to what they want to see in their children? And look at the real list: how the kids spend their time and energy.
It is possible for our kids to be pure, devoted to Jesus. But that won't happen by accident. Being trained to be devoted to Jesus will take work. And that work is described in the Bible. It will be difficult. It will cost. And it may well mean that there will be some otherwise good activities that will need to be passed by because pursuing them - at least for this or that child - will interfere with developing pure devotion to Jesus. But what's really important?
Consider the examples that the Bible presents to us. David was 'a man after God's own heart'. Paul revealed his heart when he wrote, 'To me to live is (all about) Christ'. Then, there were those who were so devoted to Jesus, purely devoted, that they were murdered. Think about Stephen and James. None of these people had an easy life. But they show what pure devotion looks like. That's what we should be aiming at when it comes to ourselves and our children. Define purity by what is there and not by what is kept out. And then work hard to see it happen.