Monday, October 22, 2012

Simple Honesty: Part 7


Movies, music, and more.

I like movies. Personally movies affect me more than books do. Consequently I have to be very careful about what I watch. I try to keep my standards very high.

But since we are being honest, I need to tell you that I’ve failed a lot in this area. I have caved to pressure (even self-made pressure) more than I would like to admit. And each time I’ve regretted it. To this day those images haunt me. Thankfully I have a God who is rich in Love and Mercy. He continually reminds me that no matter how I fail, He loves me.

Yet the question comes to mind, how much should we watch, read or listen to secular media? This is one question I am still trying to work out. Yet even here I think I’m making a mistake. I’m separating the media in my life by if it honors God or not. Everything that’s in my home whether it has a “Christian” label on it or not, should focus on the true, the noble, the lovely, the right, the lovely, the praiseworthy, and the excellent. Sometimes (more often than I would think) I find these things behind secular labels. The label shouldn’t be what we focus on. It should be the content. If the content is demoralizing, depressing, degrading of human life, has a lot of vulgarity, or characters that don’t honor and respect each other, we need to think seriously about whether we should put that into our minds.

It comes down to this. What I put into my brain will come out. If I put in good, good will come out. If I put in bad, bad is going to come out. So I need to be very careful what I put in. No matter what label it wears, we should watch or not watch movies, read or not read books, listen or not listen to music based on whether it puts good or bad thoughts into our head.

For the media that you just want to read, watch, or listen to because it gives you an adrenaline rush, don’t make excuses. There are things that I enjoy just because they’re fun. Enjoy them as gifts from God, just make sure that they are a small portion of what you take in.

Media is a powerful tool for good or for bad. Let it be a tool for good.  

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