My friend and colleague in ministry, Trey Morgan, wrote this on his Facebook status earlier today regarding his son, who is doing urban mission work in Florida:
Taylor got a parking ticket yesterday in Miami. He said, “I didn’t even know what that parking meter was.” Gotta to love a small town kid.

I am with Trey. The relative innocence of small town kids is refreshing. I see it in our youth group in Granbury. The teens who attend Tolar, a 1A rural school, look at the kids going to school in Granbury like they are from outer space at times. The Granbury kids are exposed to a lot more much faster. They are all living in the same county, but they are functioning in two distinct cultures as students.

I would like to say that I grew up in the good old days where innocence reigned, but that is not true. I grew up way too fast, and saw things long before I turned 18 that no teen should see. In theory that makes me a better minister, but it is just that, a theory. In hindsight, I yearn for a greater degree of innocence.

Trey’s story about his son reminded me of an often overlooked Scripture in Romans. It says:

19Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
Romans 16:19

That is a very interesting text. It dispels the idea that we need to have first hand experience in the sphere of spiritual darkness to be an effective witness for Christ. It really is ok to be naïve. Lack of exposure to the realities of human failing is not a bad thing. I think this is especially true for kids.

In law enforcement chaplaincy in particular, I see abused children, and kids exposed to mom and dad’s drug habits. I have seen 5 year olds who were conscripted into shoplifting with mom. I so wish that those precious children could be innocent about what is evil.

Perhaps this passage in Romans could serve as a springboard for effective parenting. Our desire should be to raise children who are wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil. I wonder where television fits in with that goal? What about the impact of the internet in the lives of our children and teens?

It is really is ok that Taylor did recognize the parking meter. I suspect he will be exposed to several things in Miami that he has never seen before. And that is ok too… Trey’s desire for him is that he be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil. In fact, that is a worthwhile goal for kids in urban areas as well as those from America’s small towns. Maybe Taylor can share these thoughts with the muncipal judge in Florida, and find mercy?