The following post is by Jacqueline Anderson. Jacqueline was awarded a $1200 Covenant Eyes Scholarship.
I’m a Christ-following student who uses Covenant Eyes. I am committed to the mission of having integrity in all areas of my life including intentionally guarding my eyes. My story is simple. It is the story of a simple church girl—but one who has been blessed through this program.
I have always been somewhat sheltered from the world—being homeschooled and growing up in a family who turned to the Lord when I was very young and who are still deeply involved in a solid church family. Purity of mind and action is a concept that was instilled in me at a young age.
I was introduced to Covenant Eyes when our church began using it for it’s ministry leaders and pastor’s computers. My father, as a head volunteer in the sound and worship ministry, was introduced to the program when it was installed on his ministry computer for the work he would be doing for the church. He, in turn, ensured that all of our family computers had the program.
I was encouraged to know that this program was different from others we had used in the past with parental locks which unnecessarily blocked websites such as e-mail or other social sites. This program allowed me as a young adult to make my own decisions about what I allowed into my mind through my eyes, while ensuring I had accountability. I was not smothered by constantly needing my parent’s to plug in a password for me to do anything on the Internet, and yet I knew anything I chose to put in front of my eyes, the Small Groups Pastor and Elder of our church would know about as my Internet accountability partner. This empowered me to make my own wise decisions.
I am now half way through my bible college career and still using Covenant Eyes at school. I have people around me who testify to struggling with things on the Internet like pornography. This is a struggle running rampant through our young people today. It is easy. It is accessible. It is secret. Once a person sees pornographic material, it is planted in their mind for a lifetime and very difficult to overcome and heal from. It is an ongoing struggle. The shame and mental scars that result from such material are producing many hurting men and women who need loving help. Covenant Eyes is a tool I deeply hope can be used to help them.
I am using Covenant Eyes and although it does not stop me from entering any site, I know that each time I open my Internet browser, my accountability partner can and will see everything I chose to lay my eyes on. Accountability could be so helpful to those struggling with pornography.
How many young people could be spared the scars of seeing such material by knowing the site they search will be seen by someone who will encourage them to keep their minds in all purity? How much harder would they have to think about the choice they are making in order to get to the material?
I hope many young people, struggling with Internet addictions or not, will be introduced to this program. I hope that they will be challenged, as I was, to think about what is entering their minds and hearts through their eyes online. I hope the presence of a covenant with their accountability partner and the presence of their partner’s eyes on their Internet choices, would encourage them to guard their minds and eyes for all purity.
Purity is not found in a program. Purity is an attitude of holding oneself to a higher standard than the world sets. Purity is considering the effect of the information we allow into our minds and hearts through our senses and choosing to reject the sensory information that would lead us away from pleasing the Lord. Covenant Eyes is a tool that can encourage us to partner with someone who will encourage us to live in that kind of purity.
I have not had any large Internet struggle or addiction. However, the presence of Covenant Eyes has been used by the Lord as a tool to keep me on that path of purity. I am thankful for the accountability and the standard it holds me too.
Jacqueline Anderson was a college student at Heritage Bible College. She is in the Bachelor of Religious Education Professional Child and Family Ministry program. Her family became Christians when she was a young child, and she accepted Christ as her loving Savior at the age of nine. Ever since that decision, Jacquie has grown in her love of the church and God’s children. Her heart is burdened for the complacency of the North American church and the hypocrisy which is driving children away from the church as they compare the teachings of the church with the lives of it’s members. She hopes to have the opportunity to pour into the lives of children by discipling them in the foundational truths of God’s Word and encouraging them to be men and woman passionately pursing Jesus Christ.
