Ribbet, ribbet

On the topic of my bible verse for the week, Soph recently wrote a great post on this section of the bible.

Now that I spend most of my time at home, I've got a great opportunity to control what fills my mind, more so than when I was out and about and working every day.

There's so much noise out there, and if we don't take a critical look at it and try to filter it we can end up thinking some unhealthy and ungodly things, without even noticing. For example - we live in a culture that is constantly telling us we need things, it's all about us, 'we're worth it' and (at the moment) it's our duty to spend money and indulge a bit - for the sake of the economy! I stopped reading catalogues a few months back because all they were doing was making me want to spend money on things I don't need. For the first time in ages, I had a look through a pile of them recently- and guess what? I now think I need to go and buy some winter clothes, a slow cooker, an SLR camera and a sewing machine!

Another area that this relates to is the moral slant of what I watch on TV. One of the first things we were taught at uni was that everything in the media has a bias. There is no neutral - there is always an agenda and a worldview at work, even if it's not obvious. What can seem like mindless entertainment can and does influence us and when you stop and think about it, it's really quite unhealthy to be enjoying tales of murder, rape, adultery, and so on. I used to love racing home from work to watch Bold and the Beautiful, until I took a long hard look at what I was actually enjoying!

I do feel like the proverbial frog in the pot of water sometimes, slowly cooking to a worldly crisp without even realising it. So here's to discernment, and to dwelling on the good things!