Covenant Eyes awards thousands of scholarship dollars each year to students who demonstrate integrity. This year, we’re doing it again! Check out the application information and pass it along to a student you know or apply for the scholarship today. Applications are due by May 31, 2019.
The essays below were written by one of last year’s winners.
How do you use Covenant Eyes, and how it has impacted your life?
I have been using Covenant Eyes for a couple years now, and it has really helped me throughout my teenage years. Although I have never had an issue with looking up crude or inappropriate content, I have found that various ads and inappropriate pop-ups would appear on me screen. This kind of content is on the screens of children, and with the advancements of technology and the internet at our fingertips, we see more children are exposed to pornography now than ever before. Even though these pop-ups were not a temptation to me, I found it ridiculous that I, a child at the time, was exposed to such vulgar content and had no control over it. This angered my parents as well, and as a result, my whole family set up Covenant Eyes on all our devices.
Covenant Eyes filters through every ad on the page, and the demeaning type of pop-up ads no longer appear on my screen. I am extremely grateful for this because it keeps my mind pure and I am no longer tormented by guilt for seeing something I had no control over. This has confirmed to me that we do not have to be exposed to inappropriate content and we should be working to get this off the screens of children and adults alike. This content does not produce good fruit in anyone’s life, all it does is tear relationships apart and causes people to stumble. This has made me grateful to have Covenant Eyes and inspires me to find my own ways to make a difference that will help keep individual’s on the path of integrity.
How do you strive to demonstrate a life of integrity?
As a teenager I found myself exposed to a whole new realm of society where the world’s values began to conflict with my own. This was the beginning of figuring out who I was and what I wanted in this life, and what I saw on the media specifically really affected these desires.
Social media alone is full of unrealistic expectations and I personally have decided to give it up. This choice to give up social media was not about avoiding a specific social network, but was part of a greater determination to strengthen my character. While it might seem extreme to some, this decision has helped me focus in my studies, build stronger relationships, and most importantly, it helped me focus more on the purpose I was created for.
As a high school student looking to further my education, I have spent countless hours studying and trying to equip myself for my future career. One thing I’ve noticed is that the choices I make in my free time directly affect my academic studies. I have found that the less I focus on the things of this world, the easier it is to focus on my schoolwork because I am not constantly thinking about what is happening online or being confronted with counterproductive content. In addition to this, I have found that I have more time now to focus on my studies because I am not being distracted by following link after link. This decision has helped me focus more on my studies, and my grades began to reflect that.
I also try to surround myself with friends who have similar long term goals as me because friends often connect and overtime form bonds over shared interests and mutual feelings. This decision has not only increased my happiness, but it has also encouraged me to spend less time on the internet which has resulted in more face-to-face interaction. This is something I value, and I feel that it is something we are drifting away from as a society. This type of communication strengthens friendships and prevents distractions while spending time with friends. For me it is better to have a few close friends than a group of acquaintances, and I have found the bond between my friendships has dramatically improved with this type of communication.
The most important of all these things and the true reason I live a life of integrity is so I can focus on living the life God desires for me to have. For this to happen, I’ve learned that I have to surrender every area of my life and myself to the Lord and His purposes. This gives me great joy and allows me to share that joy with those around me. I have also made it a priority to get involved in leadership at my church, I have been serving in groups within the church and on mission trips because I believe that integrity is shown through character, and character is often seen through service. It brings me great joy to know that I am living a life pleasing to the Lord.
When I was a child my parents told me to behave because “you never know who might be watching.” On some level I have found this to be true; whether it is a child in the store or a stranger on the street, sometimes even the smallest acts are observed and can either restore or diminish that individual’s view of humanity or a deity you claim to represent. This is why integrity is such an important quality and is something that if a person possesses, will shine through in every area of life, shedding a glimpse of the glory of what waits for us at the end of our journey.
Are you or someone you know in college? Check out the Covenant Eyes Scholarship and pass along the information to a student you know or apply for the scholarship today. Applications are due May 31, 2019.
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