In an era of constant technological development, rapidly changing cultural trends, and increasing struggles with mental health, it’s easy to feel like today’s families have it harder than generations past. The siren calls of the modern world are loud. Is it even realistic to believe that our children can be kept from their allure?

Safe from temptation? Probably not.
Strong in the face of it? Absolutely.

In “The Unexpected Parenting Comfort of Ecclesiastes,” Jen Wilkin explains that “What appears unprecedented to us is just another mechanism for committing an old sin, a modern method for giving in to an ancient temptation.”

In other words, while the packaging of a certain sin may change over time, the core doesn’t. Humanity has always faced the temptations to lust, to grasp for control, and to give in to anxiety. For every generation throughout history, God has made a way out. For every generation, God has offered the gift of everlasting love that triumphs over a life of bondage to the whims of the world.

As Wilkin writes, “Let our parenting be motivated, then, not by the fears of our generation but by the fear of the Lord.”