Jason is the hero in a classic Roman tale who leads a ship of men in the quest of the golden fleece. As all good stories go, there are many adventures, battles and catastrophes. However, Jason is about to encounter the Sirens in his journey at sea. Now the Sirens have been described in Homer's epic poem in Odysseus. They live on three small islands and have the ability to sing beautiful songs that entice sailors to their Island and then they crash their ship on the shore and meet death and destruction. Jason fears being lured to the Island, so he suggests that someone should tie them to the bow and not let them go to the Island no matter what--that the ropes could bind him from doing a bad deed.
However, it is suggested to Jason that he needs Orpheus, a singer, to come to his aid.
It seems Orpheus has the ability to play more beautiful songs more loudly and drowns out the Siren's bewitching songs so that they pass by safely.
While talking to dear friends recently, they reminded me of this story. It seems to me to be a paradigm of what we need to consider for our children. When they are young, we not only build foundations of beauty and truth and love and goodness, but we also saturate them with the celebration of life and the joy of Christ in our homes, so that they will always consider our homes the most comforting, beautiful, peaceful place to be--the place of the most beautiful songs.
I have had many women say to me, "Why do you go to so much effort to do traditions, cook real food and celebrate life with your children? It feels to me like something more I have to do and my plate is already full."
It is easy enough to keep your children "on your team" when they are young and smaller than you. However, sometimes I don't think that young moms know to prepare for the teen years.
In this culture, at this time in history, their are many voices crying out to our teens--media of all sorts--tv, movies, facebook, pornography--at their fingertips--and peer pressure. There is a point when all children have to grow up and own their own ideals. And most moms of young children just assume that their teenagers will love them and submit to them, as they are loved and obeyed now.
But in this world, at this time, the Sirens will sing an alluring song. It is ours to figure out how to sing a more beautiful song.
Yet, scripture even addresses this for teens in Proverbs, which Solomon wrote for his own son when he was a youth. Proverbs 9: 13-18 depicts this voice of foolishness and destruction. Her name is Folly and she is calling out to those who are passing by, "who are making their paths straight." She wants to bring these, our children--whose lives we have sought to put on the "path of life" for our Lord Jesus, to destruction. She calls out to them, lies, deception and promises of love and fulfillment, through the world's ways.
However, earlier, Solomon depicts the other voice that is crying out--that of Wisdom. In Proverbs 9, we see that she sets her tables, she cooks her food, makes her place one of life, food, the atmosphere where love has prepared a meal.
And then calls out to the "sons" of men and invites them to her home--she has great food, beauty, music, (probably) and invites, "Come into my house and learn from me. She is there to call these youth to excellence, beauty, truth to help them safely go through the passage of teenage years unscathed. She sings a beautiful song!
And so, as we reflect the image of God through our lives in our home, it is a necessity of our spiritual warfare that we provide and cultivate havens of comfort, a shelter in the storms of life, filled with wisdom, love, pleasure, deep satisfaction in an atmosphere of showing God's reality through it all. God was a creative artist--in His image, we create the art of life and so sing a beautiful song that will be louder to our children's souls, than that of culture.