Be careful what you look for

Because you might find it.

Several of my seminary friends post on Facebook, so to keep up with them, I opened an account and started posting. I also have a seldom used account on MySpace, basically so I can check out some more of my seminary pals' pages.

Today, I thought I'd peek in at my niece SRE's MySpace page, just to see what she is up to.

OH MY GOD.

Now SRE, age 16, lives in a multigenerational household. Her father, who is my brother, decided to move his family into my parents' house in MO as my parents no longer can take care of themselves. SRE seems to have taken this in stride, making lots of pals and doing well in school. My parents adore her and she is very loving and kind to them in return. I haven't spent much time around her since she was little, but the times recently I've been around her she has been nothing but friendly and respectful. She has dyed her once blond hair jet black and paints her nails black as well, but kids will be kids.

I didn't know what to expect, but I went through a curtain into the Dark Side when I looked at her page. I don't want to elaborate too much but I guess I've not peeked into teen subculture for a while and I am speechless. SRE says on her page, "if you want to know anything else about me...just ask." Maybe she is being transparent. Her dad is a high school science teacher so I'm sure he has taken a peek at her daughter's page. (He teaches at a different school than the one she attends; at his school, some teens were suspended due to a photo of underage drinking on a MySpace page. He's pretty savvy about what goes on.)

Only Son has said things that should have prepared me for SRE's MySpace page. "She wore a t-shirt that said, 'Evil is fun!'" he told me last fall. He just shakes his head when he says, "She's so pretty and so nice--and then she is like that!" He sees her 2-3 times a month. I've talked to her at length about faith (as has Only Son, I believe); she replies that there is no truth, only opinion. Her parents (as well as mine, for that matter) think people who worship God are wonks, so that is no surprise.

I suppose I will focus on how she treats my parents and how she treats me--nicely. I probably won't look at her MySpace page anymore, either. I'll pray that she realizes that goodness through Christ can be fun also. I'll also pray if nothing else, this evil worship is just a phase that will pass.