Facebook pictures

I get the fact I am old. I understand I did stupid things when I was a teenager and in my 20's. The one thing most of my friends all agree on is the fact no one had a camera back then. We didn't have camera phones and every camera took this stuff called film that had to be "developed" at a store somewhere. Turns out what we didn't have in life was a HUGE blessing.

Too many of our kids are posting pictures on FB that will surely come back to haunt them someday. I understand at 22 you have an incredible body and look great in a couple of small pieces of fabric covering a few important parts of your body. I also understand drinking and making funny faces at a party seems harmless. **Disclaimer: (some of the girls posting pictures are much much younger than 22 but I am picking my battles.)

My major concern is some day, even though you think it will never come, you will be applying for college, starting a career or possibly starting a family. I would love to say most people would not judge you and ignore your indiscretions as the mistakes of a college student. We all know that is not true and the simple existence of those pictures are a liability to any company or organization that employs you to work.

My advice is stop doing the kind of things that will cause you future problems. My Pastor likes to call it the "Decade Delay". Simply put it is the mistakes you make now that cause you to work ten years or more to fix or just recover. If you refuse to follow that advice then let me offer you some advice that someone told me many years ago. Have more respect for your future spouse! Don't live your life in a way that you have to cover up your past or live in fear some of it will be revealed. I totally believe in grace and believe me I have gotten way more than my share of it.

Now you may ask why I didn't mention the guys. I have a very clear if not blunt answer for that question. YOU have all the power! If teenage girls would set their standards high and stop accepting the boys that want to treat you as objects, they would stop. I need girls to say that a boy who is not in church, does not honor his parents, does not open doors for her, does not respect her boundaries and does not treat her as valuable is NOT worth dating. I can tell you from experience that you have more influence than I do as a father.

If you meet a boy that does not have a job then walk away. If he does not know Jesus then walk away. **Disclaimer: (You can lead him to Christ and then date him but you can't date him and then lead him to Christ) If he does not attend AND serve in church then walk away. If he raises his voice to you then walk away. If he does not openly and boldly talk about his faith then walk away.

Do all these things guarantee a great man? NO! They are the foundation you should start with in life. You are a beautifully made and precious gift that God has made. You should set standards so high only a few men are able to achieve them. That may mean you don't date in high school and that's okay. It may mean you don't date for a long time but that's okay too.

I know I am being critical and some of you may want to yell at me. I am really just being selfish because if women will set higher standards and stop allowing men to act like boys it will make my job much easier.

That does not excuse men in anyway! I know you are worth it and I want you to accept nothing less than everything God has for you in life. I'll work on the men if you will just stop letting them have easy access to your body via pictures or in person. I promise it will be worth it to marry a man who submits to God. It really is impossible for a man to lead if he doesn't know how to follow God.

Thanks for letting an old man rant.