Can everyone identify with this scenario? You get in your car, and the first song that emanates from your radio is the one that stays with you all day. You might not even like the song, but that's the one you can't get out of your head. Or perhaps it's the commercial jingle that came on during a TV program you watched last night. Ugh, don't you hate that? Me, too.Sometimes, it's a perfectly okay song, or maybe it's one of your favorites. But for me, a lot of times (especially if I'm riding in my husband's truck and he has one of those radio stations on that drive me nuts), it's a tune I despise.
Okay, so what's the point? How does this relate to Inspiring Words, Inspiring Lives? The other day, I was reminded of this Bible verse: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8 RSV) This advice urges us to fill our minds with truth, goodness, and things worthy of praise. That song sticking in our heads is just a small example of how the things we see, hear, and read tend to fill our minds.
And how many of us find ourselves singing that dreaded song out loud at least once during the day? It's easy to see that whatever fills our minds can spill out into our words. Have your ever caught yourself repeating an expression you heard on TV or maybe heard someone else use? Again, first it makes an impression on our minds, then it comes out of our mouths.
On a much grander scale, we can see the influence of reality TV shows and today's music on the behavior of young people. Use of the dreaded "F" word is practically commonplace. The other day, I heard a young couple speaking in front of their five-year-old daughter and flinging the "F-bomb" throughout the conversation. They weren't even angry (not that being angry is an excuse). It was just another word to them, like "really" and "dumb." How can we inspire each other to live better lives if our language is peppered with curse words?
Likewise, how can young people be encouraged to strive for their dreams, to become better people, if they only thing they learn from reality TV is that it's important to look like a model and act like a six-year-old?
Let's be proactive in this. Someone has to turn the tide. Why not us? Let's inspire others by sharing whatever good things we hear. Spread praise around. Fling words of encouragement instead of cursing and discontent. Read the Bible. Read about people who are doing great things in your community. And pass it on.
