"Hey Mr. A, check out this cool song. It's called 'Dancing in a Lesbian Bar'."
I couldn't even tell if she was being sarcastic.
As I politely declined the headphone Marissa had just offered me, I wondered how she could say something like that with a straight face. Just a few days prior to this, I had spoken to the whole high school about choosing entertainment that honored God. I talked about holiness, practicing purity, choosing entertainment wisely, etc... And most of the students had received that talk well.
Except Marissa.
You see, Marissa and some of her friends were really the reason I gave that talk in the first place. It had come to my attention that those students were watching a TV show called Euphoria. A quick internet search revealed the show to be horrifically vulgar and profane, full of more swear words and nudity than I thought possible to cram into a single production. Hence my talk, most of which Marissa had appeared to sleep through.
All this was running through my mind as I returned Marissa's headphone. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry as I said to her "don't you remember my talk the other day?"
"Yeah, but it's still a good song" she replied, nonchalantly scrolling through her phone.
Not wanting to force the issue, I let it go at that.
Now from this interaction, and several others like it, I assumed that Marissa had pretty much tuned out my talk about holiness. But then something surprising happened a few weeks later. I happened to be talking to Marissa about an upcoming book we would be reading in English class. I said something like "and it's got one or two swear words in it, but that's about it for content concerns. It's not like Euphoria or anything." And I didn't say that in a condemning, judgmental tone. I was honestly just making a comparison. And yet, to my surprise, Marissa suddenly looked at the floor and said in quiet, guilty voice "I don't watch that show anymore." I was stunned! This sullen, teenage girl had actually LISTENED to me and given up a show which, by all appearances, she really enjoyed! She made an effort to be holy! Trying to conceal my joy, I thanked Marissa for making that difficult choice. She looked up and smiled faintly.
If you ever give a heartfelt talk to a student and it seems like they're not listening, don't be fooled. They are.
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