I just cannot figure it out. If my daughter had decided to attend the prom–I mean if she had decided to purposefully place herself in an environment in which the lights would be dimmed and immodestly dressed girls would move their bodies to the beat of seductive music while embraced by or very close to their dates— I would be a bit embarrassed. I would do everything in my power to change her mind. If she somehow got past her father and into that environment (and I can hardly imagine that ever happening), we would both be in prayer for her safety and for another chance to mold her in a different direction as her parents. If she had decided to go against the wishes of the godly elders in our congregation and place herself in that compromising situation, we would apologize to those men and join with them in encouraging her to repent. If our son chose to lead a girl to a place where a couple of the works of the flesh of Galatians 5:19-21 were pretty much the order of the night, we, as parents, would be deeply disappointed. We would beg him to reconsider his decision. We would talk to him about the power of lust and the lack of consecration exhibited by a conscious decision to purposefully place himself in a position in which he would be looking at scantily clad women in seductive positions for a night of entertainment. Frankly, we would be afraid that his lack of concern about exposing himself to this scenario and his failure to flee situations like this might lead to his involvement in other addictive sins of lust. If either of them made this choice, I think we would talk to him/her about the Savior and the great sacrifice he made for us before calling us to live sanctified and sacrificially holy lives. We would plead with them to honor Him by making a comparatively small sacrifice for His glory.
But I think we would also react with shame. I think we would tell everyone who might be able to convince our kids to make a different choice and solicit all of their help. But I don’t think we would tell anyone else. We would be ashamed. I certainly don’t think we would proudly display our kids’ prom pictures on facebook. If our kids displayed them, we would ask them to remove them if they had any respect for us at all.
I know what I am saying is out of vogue with the world. It is out of step with the culture and, to many, it seems silly. But when I have studied the Greek word for lasciviousness, fully recognizing that lasciviousness is a work of the flesh and those who participate cannot inherit the kingdom, I’m convinced that facebook pictures of the prom glorify what makes God ashamed. When we are proud of what makes God ashamed, and ashamed of what makes God proud, do we love Him with all of our hearts? Are our emotions in tune with His? Am I saying that anyone who attended the prom doesn’t love God? No. But I am saying this: If we really consider Galatians 5:19-21 and the gravity of its warning; if we come to terms with what Christ gave up for us; if we look at the prom seriously as the night of revelry that it has come to be, in at least almost all cases in America, then we, as Christians, would want to distance ourselves from it. We would want to take an amazing opportunity to deny ourselves (or our children) this pleasure of the world in honor of the One who called us to be holy.
Another way to look at it is this: If you knew that Christ would return during the prom at the local high school, would you really want your children to be there at the moment of His return? Seriously? If you thought Christ would walk into the gym where the festivities were happening, would you want to meet His gaze? If Christ was your facebook friend, would you tag Him in the pictures of your kids getting set to leave for the prom? If the Lord was walking through prom month with you–physically, with you–would your choices be different? Would you take him to the tux rental store or the formal dress department for the try-ons? Would your money be spent on something more wholesome? Would your excitement be centered on some other activity? Would your very best presentation be a little different and a little differently directed than the one for which you plan so diligently for that twilight hour on that Saturday night in early spring? Honestly?
He is walking with you. There is a sense in which, in His omnipresence, He is there at the prom. He is your facebook friend and he’s at the tux store and the dress shop and the salon. He’s even in your heart and He identifies what you treasure–what’s important to you. Life is short and kids only get one chance to give Him the senior prom. And ypu can’t go back again once you’re twenty-five and realize that the prom was really not such a big deal. Besides, don’t you want your kids to give it to Him while it IS a big deal? It’s the big deals that God wants from us. It’s our treasures He wants us to lay up in heaven.
But, moms, if you’re determined to let them go…and girls, if you are set on going…if you have to put the pictures on facebook, don’t tag me. It just makes me sad. Besides we have a facebook Friend in common. The Lord sees both of our walls. But whether or not He is our Friend in the judgment is the all-important question. “Whosoever is a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).
One final note. I know a young high school senior who once asked a girl to the prom. He had little interest in religion, but she was a faithful member of the Lord’s church. She declined the invitation, citing that she didn’t think the prom was an appropriate place for a Christian. He had never heard of this, but was intrigued by her answer and challenged by her denial and he began to pursue her. That pursuit culminated in a Bible study with her and her father and then, finally, in his conversion to Christ. He ultimately attended Freed-Hardeman University where he studied to be a gospel preacher and fell in love with a wonderful Christian girl. He has been preaching the gospel for over thirty years now and is currently beginning a work with the great Wood Avenue church in Florence, Alabama. He is the father of three faithful Christian kids, one of which is my favorite son-in-law, Benjamin Giselbach, who is also a faithful preacher and man of God. I am thankful for that seventeen year-old who had enough conviction in her heart to say no to that suitor that spring. Who knows what blessings can grow from seeds of conviction carefully planted by faithful parents? Only God knows.
