Germans on My Wallermelon

by Jill Collins

Okay. Admit it. We moms are Germ-O-Phobes. We purchase cute, quilted liners so our babies’ hands never come in contact with the shopping cart. We carry hand sanitizer attached to our purse straps, ready to whip the bottle out at a moment’s notice and obliterate some unsuspecting bacteria that dares find its way to our toddlers’ hands.

I am no exception. When using a public potty, my four kidlets know the drill. Don’t touch anything, especially not the flusher. Mama will flush the potty with the sole of her shoe when you are done. Wash your hands. Use soap—lots of soap. Open the restroom door with a paper towel. In light of all this, what happened one summer day should have come as no surprise to me.

The children gathered around the picnic table out back, waiting impatiently for their daddy to slice into the first watermelon of the summer. They watched eagerly as he expertly sliced it—first in half, and again lengthwise, then cutting each section into neat little red, white, and green triangles. Taking their slices, the kids bounded off into the yard to enjoy the juicy treat.

Suddenly, sobs. Silas, my youngest, wanted me know something was wrong in his little world. Questions flashed through my mind as I ran to check on him. Had he scraped a knee? Cut a finger? Busted a lip?

Finding him near the swing set, I surveyed the situation. A quick glance showed nothing amiss and no blood visible. Yet the tears continued to stream down the grimy, sticky, little face. “I dwopped my wallermelon,” he managed to choke out between sobs. “And now, it gots Germans on it.”

Our family exploded with laughter at his misuse of the word. This didn’t seem to help his hurt feelings one bit. However, a fresh piece of “wallermelon” saved the day. Crisis resolved. A memory to tuck away? Not quite.

Later that evening, while reflecting on the incident, I thought about all we, as mothers, do to protect our little ones from the germs, dirt, and filth that can harm little bodies and make them sick. Oh, the lengths to which we will go. But what about our children’s spiritual health and well-being? Are we equally diligent (or even more so) to protect little hearts and minds from evil, trash, and filth that can make them sin-sick?

Moms, we use antibacterial wipes at the door of the supermarket, especially during cold and flu season. But do we shield little eyes from nearly naked models on the magazine covers at the checkout?

We encourage vegetables at every meal, and maybe even a vitamin supplement to boot. But do we encourage a steady diet of God’s Word—reading, studying, and memorizing with our precious ones?

We closely monitor dental hygiene, making sure children brush and floss daily, but find ourselves lax in monitoring the plaque that can build up from unsupervised Internet usage. We are faithful in keeping immunizations up to date, protecting our children from sickness, yet do we allow a constant stream of bacteria into our homes through inappropriate television and music?

Moms, let’s be diligent to help little eyes, ears, and minds to “Oh, be careful.” Don’t listen to the world or even well-meaning (but perhaps misguided) Christians who tell us, “You can’t protect them from the world forever.” Of course we can’t. But young, tender hearts need protection; children are so impressionable.

Don’t allow kids to become desensitized to the filth of sin through repeated exposure to music, television, Internet, or other "germs." Instead, let’s build our children’s spiritual immune systems through daily doses of Scripture, making God’s Word a priority in our own lives, and modeling a lifestyle of purity and a desire for holiness.

It’s a nasty world, physically and spiritually. Grubby hands, snotty noses, dirty faces…all make the mom in us cringe. But “how much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water” (Job 15:16)?

About the Writer: Jill Collins is an elementary school teacher in De Queen, Arkansas. She and her husband Josh attend Daisy Free Will Baptist Church where she serves as church clerk, women’s Sunday School teacher, and active member of Women Nationally Active for Christ.