Think of Elvis Presley, Sandra Dee, Marilyn Monroe or
James Dean. These were popular “Teen Idols.” Young
people upheld them highly and longed and strove to be like
them. They patterned their lives after their habits and styles.
I don’t hear the term “Teen Idol” much anymore but the
concept is still around. Today, the word “Hero” is used a
lot. “Michael Jordan is my hero.” Or, “Dennis Rodman is
my hero.” Enjoying sports and leisure time is healthy for
children and adults alike. But I’m concerned when so much
of our young people’s time is saturated in these things that
they begin to consider sports figures, rock stars or TV stars
as the kind of people they want to “be like” when they grow
up. Especially, when some of these “Teen Idols” are as
ungodly as Madonna or Rodman.
First of all, I don’t like the terminology of the word
“Idol,” simply because of what it suggests. Secondly, why
do we not hear more from our youth about wanting to grow
up to be like the preacher, an elder, or an older, godly
woman in the church? Wouldn’t it be nice to hear a young
child say something like, “Jesus is my hero,” or “the apostle
Paul is my hero.” Or what about “Daddy is my hero,”
“Mommy is my hero,” or “Grandma is my hero.” Perhaps if
we would stop saturating their time in one sport after
another, or one television program after another, and start
saturating more of their time in biblical studies and
principles (Deut. 6:7-9), we would hear more of this kind of
thing from them. Who is your child’s “Hero” or “Idol?”
Who does your child want to be like when he (she) grows
up? Who do you want to be like?
Paul wrote, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate
Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1) The idea of people wanting to be like
godly men and women is a biblical one. Paul wanted others
to strive to be like Jesus. He wanted folks to set their goals
toward becoming like him as he became like Christ. Study
Paul’s life; it’s evident that his “Hero” was the Lord. Who’s
your child’s “Hero?” Ultimately, God should be the Hero of
us all. Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore be imitators of God
as dear children.” One thing which helps us accomplish this
is striving to be like other godly men and women. I was
flattered when an eight year old boy in a church where I
preached told me one day, “I want to be just like you when I
grow up.” (Trust me, I don’t hear a lot of this...smile). But
shouldn’t we want our children to admire and desire to be
like godly men and women when they grow up rather than
Dennis Rodman or Madonna? Wouldn’t you prefer that
they want to be like Paul, an elder, a preacher, or their godly
father or grandfather? It can be done if you will direct their
time and interests more toward spiritual things rather than
deluging them with physical games and entertainment.
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