Chapter 15
I AM Thinking Only About Good Things, Part 2
Today I have a practical suggestion. I was thinking about how the Apostle Paul recommended that we only think about good things, and my eyes fell on a weekly shopper that came in the mail. It made me wonder if you scan the newspaper every day for top stories, or watch the news on TV every morning or evening. In our home - WE DO NEITHER. The primary tactic of news reporting is to stir up fear and anxiety in their readers' and listeners' hearts. Even the weather report is twisted to stir up concerns, no matter what the weather is really like that day. "In our area the weather is balmy today, but we see a system coming in that may bring tornadoes all across the entire state of ..."
Our news sources report on the Iraqi war, potential terrorism, unstable economy, rising gasoline prices, the falling stock market, businesses closing down, more home foreclosures, people going broke, violent crime in your neighborhood and worse. All of these top stories make for "good news" but lead to a loss of confidence about our future, our finances, our security, even our country. And during election year, they repeat over and over all the perceived mistakes each of the parties made during the past three years. It's a fact, without having something alarming or negative to report, news reporters would be hard-pressed to find anything to say or write.
One way to begin feeling less anxious all the time is to ruthlessly cut the stress from your life. Stay away from toxic people; they will drag you down. Only hang out with upbeat, positive talkin' folks. Don't watch any violent or stress-building programming on TV. AND, stop reading or listening to anything that talks negative, or that forecasts gloom and doom. I challenge you to try going completely without any form of news for one week.
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8).
Continue to Chapter 15: Questions
