The amount
of sarcasm holding the above statement together is probably thick enough to spread
on toast…
If you have not
figured it out yet, current news agencies realize the easiest way to prop up
shaky ratings is with “shock and awe” news, whereas the more fear and anxiety
they produce, the better the ratings. It
usually goes something along these lines:
”Coming up on Channel 5 news, exclusive new details of three murders
that took place just minutes ago 12,000 miles away from your front door and why
your dogs, children and drinking water may now be in danger! Also, we’ll talk about the new threats of
walking and breathing at the same time and how that combination could
eventually lead to death. And in our
‘Parenting Segment’, we’ll look at a just completed ten year study by Harvard
University involving M&M’s, your cat’s bowel movement schedule, and how the
number of times your child says the word ‘gobbledygook’ before age twelve could
predict his or her chances of becoming President one day…”
“And remember, Channel 5 News is now sponsored in part by McDonalds. So
make sure to grab a value meal (Don’t forget to supersize that sucker!) as you
pay $16.00 a gallon for gas and live in constant fear that you’ll be laid off
ever since we shared findings from our
financial expert (who also happens to be our janitor at the news station) indicating
your job is in jeopardy. Therefore, sit
back in your lazy boy recliner, inhale those fries, nuggets and burgers, take a gulp from
that soda cup big enough to take a bath in and get ready to surf the waves of
depression we’ll be throwing at ya!”
“Don’t forget. At Channel 5 news, we do the thinkin for you so you don’t
have to!”
So what’s the
solution? Should we all buy a gun, lock
the doors, drop to our knees in constant prayer, talk about the good ole days
and how the world used to make sense, tell everyone we love’em and then get
ready kiss our butt goodbye, knowing that all hell may break loose at any given
moment?
Or……..
Do we choose to
have faith?
I’m often
reminded how the Bible teaches us and encourages us to “not be afraid” hundreds
of times and yet so many of us, (thanks to 24-hour news coverage ranging from
The Middle East, to the financial crash, to the Kardashian’s newest $25,000 rare
goldfish imported from an island that the Pentagon can’t even locate), go
through our days with that “deer in headlights” look.
On the contrary, it
appears that Hollywood could put out a headline that reads, “Wearing a shovel
on your head is all the rage!” and there would probably be a riot at every
Lowes and Home Depot between L.A and New York.
(But don’t worry, Channel 5 news would provide full coverage of the
riots, explain why you should be afraid, and eventually decide who you should
blame...)
I guess it’s hard
to hear the quiet voice in our hearts whispering to have faith in the good
things when someone is always shouting from an electrical box mounted on every
wall in our home, “BUY THIS AND YOU’LL NEVER FEEL SAFER OR HAPPIER! AND IF YOU ORDER NOW, WE’LL SEND YOU TWO FOR
TWICE THE PRICE! BUT HURRY, WE’VE ONLY
GOT 5 LEFT AND YOUR NEIGHBOR IS ON THE PHONE ORDERING 3 OF THOSE!!!!”
We should ask
ourselves: Why do we think that knowing
every possible bit of information we can squeeze into our day is going to make
our days better? Do we not already have
enough to focus on?
Now I’m not saying
we should forget about pursuing truth and knowledge and go through life walking
around with our head in a bucket of sand.
(There are too many of those in Washington D.C. who do that now.) What I
am saying is that it’s foolish to think that overloading your plate with the “all
you can eat” buffet served 24/7 by news agencies like CNN, FOX, or NBC is going
to actually improve your life and keep your goldfish safe.
Starting now, you
can spend the rest of your life living in a state of doubt and fear, discussing
with your friends on Facebook about the recent story Channel 5 News shared about how someone living in “couldn’t find it on a map if we tried” was recently
denied service at Starbucks because their religious practice of running
around naked with chicken feathers glued to their body and dancing to Funky
Cold Media in the parking lot was, based on the lawsuit filed for $20,000,000,000
by their attorney, clearly an attack on religious rights in this country and
proof that the end time is near!!!
Or you can choose
to have some faith that everything may actually be okay. Have some faith that God really does have
your best interest in mind. Have some
faith in yourself. Have some faith in
the goodness of people. Have some faith
in your children. Have some faith that
you don’t have to know all the answers to be happy. Have some faith that the sun will rise
tomorrow. Have some faith that mankind
will continue to create remarkable music and art and demonstrate unbelievable
acts of love and kindness towards each other.
Have faith in the power of the family unit (however you define “family
unit”) and remember that change truly does begin at home.
If the news has you feeling so down and out that you’re considering hanging out
with the in-laws for a day to help improve your mood, it may be time to turn
off the television and listen to the voice in your heart - a voice that isn’t
trying to sell you anything or trying to make you afraid. It’s just reminding you to have a little
faith in the good things in life and to enjoy the blessings around you.
As David Jeremiah
recently shared, “During this life, we’re not promised that the flight won’t be
a little bumpy and have some turbulence, we’re only promised a safe landing.”
And that pretty much
sums it up. Most news agencies and
television stations build ratings by constantly keeping the bumps and turbulence
of life at the forefront of our attention.
But you’ll find there is so much more to your life than bumps and
turbulence when you decide to turn the television off – good parts of your life
that you may be overlooking.
You just have to
have a little faith…
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