Music is one of my passions.  Since I was in preschool music growing up in church I have loved to sing, listen to, and watch others lift their voices in song.  If God had allowed me to ask for any talent in particular, it would have been that of a voice that was the combination of Karen Carpenter, Julie Andrews, and Sandi Patti. How awesome would that have been? That, however, was not God’s plan for me, thus I sing with the voice He gave me, breaking out in song at the faintest sound of a familiar tune, enjoying every minute of it all!

That love was what first drew me to a new television program called “Glee.”  In its beginning season, I was enamored with the collection of voices chosen to participate in the portrayed small town, high school show choir. The songs were familiar, performed to perfection, and I, usually to my daughter’s dismay, found myself singing along. Accompanying the singing and quest for competition victories, there was, of course, the story line, mostly teen related.  As the relationships and story lines have developed through the seasons, the music has been hard for me to hear midst the focus on sexual relationships from loss of virginity to homosexuality to transgender cross dressing.  And the music could have stood on its own in my opinion.

The episode that aired last week will be my last. I will miss this talented group of young people singing with such enthusiasm and promise.  However, I can no longer support the story lines of promiscuity and modeling of that behavior to the teens who watch weekly, who see these actions and relationships as normal and quite the 21st century standard of acceptable behavior. My continued viewing was in itself approval of the  behavior I observed. My decent on the slippery slope of societal and Godly decline was well in progress and God had procured my attention on this matter. It only saddens me that I had waited so long thinking I could overlook the parts I didn’t agree with- that I had delayed action until conditions were so extremely polar opposite to everything I believe.

With that decision, I made a conscious effort to reach out and grab the hand of Jesus so that He could interrupt my “slippery slope slide” and pull me back onto the narrow path to walk with Him. Can I challenge you to do the same, to hold up your beliefs, your actions, your words, your thoughts, your relationships, even your television viewing up against the word of God?

Times have definitely changed, but God and His word have not. The world so distracts us that we often fail to know and sometimes choose to ignore the truth of His words and how they should be lived out in our lives.

And what of our Christian witness to those we daily come in contact with. “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5: 13-14) How can we be salt and light if we do not separate ourselves from the ways of this world, refusing to morph into the culture of acceptance and tolerance, creating our own morals as we see fit.

Bring flavor, bring light, bring God to this 21st century world, and remember that though things may get a bit lonely, you are never alone. Let the light of God shine through you as you walk through this world with Him by your side. May He give you the grace and the strength you need. To God Be the Glory!