It Started With You.Sample

Therefore, all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles sharpened. 1 Samuel 13:20 NIV

The Philistines sharpened the weapons of the Israelites, the very weapons with which the Israelites fought their enemies.

They also sharpened their tools with which they did their work. The Israelites might have thought: "Weapons are bad; our enemies have them; they would be of no good use in our hands."

But the Israelites knew that a sharp weapon was necessary to fight, and a sharp tool was needed to do their work with excellence.

But something even better was lacking: the training, the education to know how to sharpen their weapons and tools.

As parents, we can feel overwhelmed by the great attachment our children have to technology. We are fathers and mothers who want the best for their children. Perhaps you have tried to take away all the screens from your child, and it didn't work.

Perhaps you have tried in different ways to make them see that there are more important things, but you don't know how to do it.

Technology is not bad, but our children must learn to channel it, and the best way to learn is by example.

Will you tell them that the Philistines' weapons are bad? No.

But you will not hand over the education of your children to them.

Our children must have critical thinking; they must know how to recognize things, know that there are beautiful things on the screen and outside of it.

Our example will start everything.

I will tell you a little testimony: I would look at my books, children's stories by C. S. Lewis that I like, and by Charles Dickens.

I would pray. And at other times, I would look at my cell phone, laugh, and play games. My son began to copy me.

He would come closer.

"Can you read me something from here?" and I would say, "Of course." Then he would say, "Can we play on the cell phone?" Of course! He already had the Philistines' weapon, and now I was the one teaching him how to sharpen it.

In no way will I let the world teach my son how to entertain himself; he can learn that at home. While my sister, Abi, and I are doing the storyboards for the untold story, I let my son give us suggestions, and sometimes my sister Abi lets him help with a drawing.

He loves images, drawings, and how to create a story.

I believe that, so that they learn to sharpen their weapons with which they will fight in this life, we will start with my example.

Why don't we set an example together?