An average middle-aged American mom was driving home one afternoon and absentmindedly turned on the car's CD player. A bass drum began a rhythmic beat as a man's voice began to whisper. Curious, she turned it up and listened carefully. She realized she was listening to a rapper's chant. He said what? she thought to herself in disbelief. Horrified, she turned off the sound and unloaded the CD. Furious, she stormed into the house to look for her teenager.

I am that mom. I was so angry with my teenage daughter I could hardly speak. I made her listen to part of the song, if you can call it a song, and then dramatically threw it into the garbage. "It wasn't my CD! It was my friend's!" she offered meekly. "I just skip over the songs I don't like."

I left her room; I wanted to let my  emotions subside. She knew how angry I was. She offered to do the dishes without being asked, worked patiently with her dad while he helped her with Algebra II, and quietly went to bed on time.

I went to bed thinking about that CD. Listening to that rap, even accidentally, left me feeling dirty. I was sorry that a child in my home would not perceive it as offensive. "Lord," I prayed, "give me wisdom to help this child with her wobbly sense of faith, and wobbly sense of right and wrong."

The Power of Music

Then God surprised me. Instead of feeling indignant, furious, and disgusted with Meredith, I felt compassion for her-even an understanding of the pressures teens are under in our "pop-culture-reigns day and age." God helped me see a fresh way to get through to her. And he gave me the ability to find humor in the situation. It did, in fact, seem rather ridiculous: a mini-van mom driving along, thinking about what to make for dinner as a dirty rap song fills the air.

So I prepared for our car ride to school the next morning.

"Meredith," I started, "you have sullied my van." I caught her off guard. She didn't expect me to be funny. "Look, music is an amazing thing. It reaches a part of the brain that is deep and mysterious; scientists still can't figure it out. If someone stutters when they talk, they don't stutter when they sing. If you want to memorize something, it's easy to do if it has a tune with it. Try to memorize a poem and see how hard it can be. But think of how easy it is to pick up verses of a song. Effortless! There's even a famous study called the 'Mozart Effect.' Researchers found that when children took an IQ test and listened to classical music, they scored higher on the test." I paused. "Music matters, Meredith. It fills your mind and sticks in your head more than you could ever imagine."

"I don't listen to that stuff," she said defensively.

"Stop passing it off on someone else," I said. "You're the one who brought it into our home. Take responsibility for it. And it would be smart to tell your friends why it's so bad."

Getting a "Heads-Up"

That comment stumped her. "Meredith, it's so bad because those chants are destructive and demeaning to women. The rapper talks about sex as a violent, self-gratifying act. He couldn't care less about the woman he mentions. And the names he calls her-horrible words for women to be called. Teenage girls should refuse to buy that junk." Now I was ready for my closing argument. "And I won't allow that kind of music in my home. I believe it is wrong, and I believe it dishonors God."

We pulled up to the high school and she hopped out. "Sorry, Mom," she said, sheepishly. I drove off, feeling sad that we had to have a discussion like that. It's hard to know how preemptive to be with pop culture and modern technology. And to be fair, it's not all bad.

Scripture promises us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Nothing is outside of God's understanding-not technology, not rap music, not pop-culture. I think God orchestrated an opportunity for me to receive a "heads up" about that CD. And thankfully, he is parenting alongside us, ready to help us redeem any situation with his eternal truths. 

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a freelance writer in Alamo, California.

OTHER COLUMNS:
November 15, 2009 - Bringing Christ to French Guiana
November 1, 2009 - Walking the edge
October 18, 2009 - Watch what you say
October 4, 2009 - Proposing a new proverb
September 20, 2009 - Fear and trembling
September 6, 2009 - Elwyn
August 23, 2009 - Where did the Bible go?
August 9, 2009 - The public school: a local mission field
July 26, 2009 - Astonishing the judges
July 12, 2009 - Letting the past go
June 28, 2009 - Line up
June 14, 2009 - The path to spiritual growth
May 31, 2009 - A tribute to one of my heroes
May 17, 2009 - Silent soldier
April 19, 2009 - Operation Resensitization
April 5, 2009 - The temptations of ministers
March 8, 2009 - Conversation over shoes
February 22, 2009 - By their plurals you shall know them
February 8, 2009 - What is missing from your retirement plans?
January 25, 2009 - Turn the page
December 28, 2008 - Abba, Father
December 14, 2008 - Elementary truths
November 30, 2008 - The illusion
October 19, 2008 - Acting like a toddler
October 5, 2008 - Don’t miss this
September 21, 2008 - Foolish schemes
September 7, 2008 - God’s hand is everywhere
August 24, 2008 - The dance
August 10, 2008 - Strange land
July 27, 2008 - God’s amazing grace
July 13, 2008 - A best seller
June 29, 2008 - My grandfather’s clock and worship
June 1, 2008 - Reclaiming the name
May 4, 2008 - God is not our fairy godmother
April 6, 2008 - Success: what is it and who can measure up?
March 9, 2008 - Need to know
February 10, 2008 - The top three myths of singleness
January 13, 2008 - By invitation only
December 5, 2007 - Yes, Abbie, there is a Jesus
November 18, 2007 - 10 Ways to be a good Christmas customer
October 21, 2007 - The dividing line
September 23, 2007 - What do you fear?
September 9, 2007 - A life well lived
August 26, 2007 - To murmur, or not to murmur
July 29, 2007 - The cross and the Christian
July 15, 2007 - Turning the other cheek: still a valuable biblical principle
July 1, 2007 - Why the tie?
June 3, 2007 - The death of a son
May 6, 2007 - A prayer for the dying
April 8, 2007 - The omnipresent God
March 11, 2007 - Do the Amish have superheroes?
February 11, 2007 - What’s your black history?
January 14, 2007 - The split branch
December 31, 2006 - The house of regret
December 10, 2006 - The redemption of the innkeeper
November 26, 2006 - Too many choices
November 12, 2006 - Break the bashing habit: Learning to love the unsaved like Christ does: November 12, 2006
October 15, 2006 - Be ‘salt and light’ this Christmas!: October 15, 2006
September 17, 2006 - Who is a legalist?: September 17, 2006 Issue 38
July 23, 2006 - God speaks through our brokenness: July 23, 2006 Issue 38
June 25, 2006 - 'What I am looking for in my church leaders'