Earned Innocence

This was originally published on Propel Women’s Instagram Account.

When it comes to things like mature-rated TV, I sometimes struggle with wanting to guard little eyes in my life while not wanting to be a wet blanket for the adults around who are convinced Christians are boring. I’m choosing instead to give myself permission to pursue my convictions and move toward innocence. 

It’s not that I am fearful of “bad” things, it’s that Jesus has pulled me out of darkness and now I crave the innocence, purity, and true freedom that comes from living in the light. It might feel childish to cover my eyes during a movie preview or avoid walking down the aisle with Halloween decorations at the store, but it’s a lie from our culture that more exposure means more maturity. 

Scripture has the opposite word. 

Matthew 18:3-5 reads, “‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.” After eating from the Tree of Knowledge and Evil, Adam and Eve’s eyes weren’t immediately opened to wisdom and maturity as they’d hoped. What their eyes were opened to instead was their nakedness, bringing so much shame they hid from God (Genesis 3).  What if guarding our eyes is a muscle of maturity, a sign of childlike trust in God? I do not make choices from a place of fear, but from a place of trusting God with my good. 

These days I sleep deeply. I don’t have repetitive, anxious thoughts about all the things that could go wrong. My mind is a garden of peace, because I have accepted there are things I don’t need to know about—and I’m not missing out. I close my eyes when something comes on that I know won’t be good for my soul. My peace of mind and soul are worth cultivating and I am grateful for that earned innocence.