I was making Andrew’s bed while answering many inquires about each item I placed on his bed.  I had just finished an extensive dissertation about how the mattress protector-which I was also recalling was ridiculously expensive-would keep his bed from absorbing any accidents, spills, etc-thereby avoiding a stinky aroma.  The conversation was beyond his three years, and coincidentally he tuned out long before the conclusion of my compelling explanation.

Though he had moved on to Lego’s,  I continued contemplating the value of mattress protectors.  Isn’t it funny we spend so much money on a super thin, wick away material, to protect a mattress?  I get the logic behind the madness, but I was struck how we would do more to protect a mattress than we would to protect our hearts and home.

Might I explain?  We leave our children home with unlimited access to the Internet knowing full well what exists with just a click.  Depraved minds that lie in wait for the vulnerable who seek interaction and attention.  We allow smut to filter through the television without a thought of how it might begin to make our thoughts “stink.”  Yet-we’re somehow surprised when it happens.  We may see our children, or their friends, wrestle with inappropriate expectations of the opposite gender, or worse,  trivialize what God created as sacred.

But we save the money for a nice mattress protector.  I wonder what would happen in our homes-if we decided protecting and guarding our hearts and minds-to keep the stink away-would be more significant than protecting our possessions.  How would children be different as future leaders?  Counter culture is one of the hardest things I find myself standing against.

I challenge each of you to take a minute and prioritize  what the Lord calls you to protect.  Be courageous and ask the Lord to begin pressing in on, what Priscilla Shirer calls, your God awareness.

What would you take greater care to protect if Jesus was present in your home?   He is…and that’s a hope worth holding on to and protecting!