Guardians of Wonder: Protecting Children’s Hearts in a Digital Age

Little Seeds, Big Fruit Series — Blog 5

September 8, 2025

Becky Chocklette

Protecting the Garden of a Child’s Heart

Every good gardener knows that planting seeds is only the beginning. The tender sprouts must be protected from weeds, pests, and harsh conditions that can choke growth. In the same way, the seeds of faith we plant in our children’s hearts need careful guarding.

In today’s digital age, children are constantly bombarded with information, images, and messages that compete for their attention. Many of these messages can be weeds that threaten to crowd out truth and wonder. Parents have the sacred role of cultivating an environment where the imagination of their children is not consumed by the noise of culture but nourished by the beauty and truth of God’s Word.

This blog explores why guarding children’s hearts is critical, how Scripture calls us to this responsibility, and practical ways parents can protect and nurture their children’s wonder in a media-saturated world.

Guarding the Garden of Wonder

1. Why Guarding the Heart Matters

The wisdom of Proverbs makes this clear:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

A child’s heart is like the soil of a garden. Whatever is planted there — whether weeds or seeds — will eventually bear fruit. In the digital age, children’s imaginations are shaped daily by what they watch, read, and scroll. Without guidance, harmful seeds can take root.

Romans 12:2 (NIV) warns us:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

This means parents must be vigilant in protecting their children’s minds from harmful influences while nurturing them with God’s eternal truth. Protecting wonder is not about isolating children but equipping them to flourish in a world full of competing voices.

2. Planting Seeds of Truth in a Digital World

Children don’t just need protection from weeds; they need healthy seeds planted consistently. The Word of God provides nourishment that no screen can replicate.

As 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NIV) reminds us:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Scripture feeds children’s imaginations with what is good, pure, and life-giving. Stories of God’s faithfulness give them courage. The Psalms give them language for joy, sorrow, and hope. The Gospels reveal the love of Jesus.

As parents plant these seeds, they are building a framework in their children’s hearts to resist the weeds of fear, comparison, and lies that so often creep in through digital media.

3. Practical Ways to Guard Children’s Wonder

a) Monitor and Guide Media Use

Technology is not inherently evil, but it must be handled wisely.

• Set clear boundaries for screen time.

• Preview content before children watch or read it.

• Encourage co-viewing so that you can discuss messages together.

Instead of merely saying “no,” teach children how to discern truth from falsehood. Ask them questions like: “What does this story say about people? What does God’s Word say instead?”

b) Prioritize Face-to-Face Time

Children’s imaginations grow best through real-life experiences — playing outside, building with blocks, cooking together, or reading books aloud. Limit the dominance of screens so they have space to wonder, create, and dream.

c) Fill the Home with Scripture and Beauty

Guarding hearts is not just about restriction but about replacement. Fill your home with Scripture verses on walls, family worship songs, and books that point to God’s truth. Give children beauty to feast on so they are less drawn to the empty noise of culture.

d) Encourage Critical Conversations

As children grow, teach them to engage culture thoughtfully. When a movie, song, or online video presents values contrary to God’s Word, use it as a teachable moment. Help them see how God’s story is better.

e) Model Discernment Yourself

Children notice whether parents live what they teach. If parents are glued to their phones or absorbed in unhealthy media, children will imitate that. Modeling balance, discernment, and delight in God’s truth shows them how to live differently.

4. Guarding Against the Weeds of Busyness and Distraction

Sometimes the greatest danger to wonder is not outright harmful content but simple busyness.

Overscheduled lives, endless activities, and constant distraction can rob children of the space they need to connect with God.

Parents can guard wonder by:

• Saying “no” to some commitments so there is room for family worship and reflection.

• Creating tech-free zones in the home, such as the dinner table or bedrooms.

• Building in times of silence, rest, and prayer as a family.

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Justin Whitmel Earley reminds us that “our patterns of life form the deepest habits of our children’s hearts. If the pattern is constant distraction, their hearts will be shaped by it. If the pattern is attention to God, they will grow in wonder.”[1]

Protecting against distraction is as important as guarding against destructive influences. Both can choke out seeds of faith if left unattended.

[1] Justin Whitmel Earley, Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021), 24.

Seeds of Wonder, Fruit of Faith

Parents, your role is not to shield your children from every harmful influence — that’s impossible in our world. Your role is to cultivate the soil of their hearts, plant seeds of truth, and guard against weeds that choke wonder.

When you nurture your children’s imaginations with God’s Word, you are planting seeds that will one day grow into the fruit of courage, trust, and love. Those seeds will help them stand firm in faith, resist cultural lies, and live as lights in a dark world.

As Proverbs 22:6 reminds us:

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

Guard your child’s wonder. Plant seeds of truth. And trust that God, the Master Gardener, will bring the harvest.