Avoiding Meaningless Speculations
I woke up very early this morning, just sat up in bed wide awake. I got up, made some coffee and slipped into my slippers. I open my laptop to see what happened in our world while I slept.
Controversy. Controversy. Controversy. Everywhere I look there is controversy. A politician votes with colleagues across the aisle. Controversy. A radio host has a slip of the tongue. Controversy. ABC launches a new show. Controversy. Even good deeds are sometimes treated as wrong. A man saves a life but cannot save two. Controversy. A policeman defends his partner from a gunman. Controversy. A quarterback bows in humility in front of a stadium full of people, now called Tebowing. Controversy. Apparently, now-a-days, everything is controversial.
Maybe with so much social media, with so much access to information, there is a battle for getting their story noticed. People, media outlets, cable stations, bloggers, Facebookers, and tweeters are all campaigning for our attention. They are competing for the few free minutes of free time we have today. They know that you and I are naturally drawn to things that as juicy and may contain some drama. Why else would the Kardashian family be so popular or the Enquirer sell so many editions, not to mention the blog sites and day time shows on our TVs.
Does this constant barrage of controversy have any affect on us? Are we more defensive or jaded today than in the past? Does this inundation of hullabaloo impact what we think about and how we think? I think it must. I think the culture around me can have a huge impact on my thinking and values. I think it affects you too. There I go. How can I know what impacts your life? Controversy.
But let’s look at two verses from God’s Word. Proverbs 23:7
‘For as he thinks within himself, so he is.’ This verse teaches me the simple truth that I become what I think about. If I consume my mind with dreams of money it won’t be long before I’m consumed with dollar bills. If I dwell on controversial issues I will one day wake up a skeptic, a pessimist, or a conspiracy theorist. I become what I think about. My thoughts become my identity. Controversy, and the infatuation with it, will grab my life and drag me into its arena.
Another verse: 1 Corinthians 15:33 ‘Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.’ Did you catch that? We all have a tendency to spiral downward. Good morals can be corrupted. Students that hang out with bad people will likely become bad before they can turn the bad to good. A bad business partner will most likely drag the others down before they can transform him up. We, as human beings, are susceptible to degradation. We can become what we don’t want to be. We can become cynical, negative, critical, and complainers without realizing a slide has taken place. Constant controversy will do this to us!
That’s why the Bible gives us the remedy for controversy. It’s found in Philippians 4:8, ‘Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.’ Eight filters to weed out controversy, eight qualifications to set the boundaries of my thought life. This set of qualifiers can keep me from the TV shows, the blog sites, the tweets, and any other place where controversy can become a house guest in my thinking.
Let’s do ourselves a favor. Let’s step away from the everyday controversies that swirl around us. Let’s rise above them and push them out. Let’s honor our Lord Jesus by not getting caught up in the endless discussions and fruitless debates that only consume time and energy. We’re better than that, bigger than that. Find a new station, a better website, a more positive periodical.
The sun is breaking through my window. It’s a beautiful morning. A new day is here. I better hit the shower. I need to get there soon, before Ruth. Otherwise there is going to be controversy 🙂
