A Gift ~ Through Eternal Glasses

For months my son had bugged reminded me what he wanted for his birthday....Guitar Hero III~ It was a daily, and sometimes hourly, discussion.

He even talked me into this shirt that said "My Mom Rocks" ~ I think that was a little sweet talking going on, even through a shirt :~)

How could I begin to dream of giving him anything else. 

So, of course, there was a Wii Guitar Hero III for a certain 12 year old's birthday.

Then, we saw what was on the screen......

In short ~ one of the levels in Guitar Hero III is called "Battle for Your Soul" and, it has songs such as "The Number of the Beast" and "Raining Blood".  Images of Satan were sprinkled all over the game ~ at one point the player even battles Satan in order to advance to the next level.

As I watched this play out in my living room, all I could think was "Christ died a horrible death so we would never have to see Satan, and now, we are playing with him."

My heart was torn ~ how could I think of returning this game.....Yet how could I not?

I thank the Lord for a child who had a heart tender enough to hear his parents' concerns and be willing to return his game ~ Praise God for our children and how the He can speak to their hearts. 

Now a PS2 Guitar Hero 'Rock the Eighties' sits by our TV ~ it may not be the newest and greatest out there, but, Satan has been put back in his place ~ out of my home.

That gift incident has made me think a lot about the gifts we give and the love / thought / impact / stories behind them.  There is so much more that can be added to our pages with pictures of gift exchanges:

• Why was the gift requested / given / chosen / perfect for the receiver or from the giver?
• Is there any eternal significance / statement / story that can give you the opportunity to point towards Christ on that page?
• Was there a sacrifice made to make the gift possible?  Include the appreciation of God's work to allow the gift
• As you or your loved one use and enjoy the gift, is there something that can be included about Christ or your prayers for your future generations
• How can the gift be used for good / potential eternal purpose?  Include a prayer revolving around the gift and its potential

Wow, think about the difference we can make with a few added words.  The next time you make a gift giving / receiving page ~ look at the pictures through "Eternal Impact Glasses".

**And, if you are a parent whose child plays Guitar Hero III, any video game for that matter, just take an hour or so to look at it ~ make sure you are comfortable with the images and the message that your child is seeing.  And, please know, that I hope not to offend anyone in any way.  I realize there will be some 'world' in these video games, as parents we just have to decide how much 'world' the Lord would want us to allow in our home.