Sunday, October 12, 2008

The disease of news and media

I confess: I used to be a news junkie. Having just graduated from college a year ago, I was (and still am) eager to experience the world. I just had to keep tabs on any and everything around me. I still have an affection for reading the newspaper or other publications whenever I can get my hands on one, but I no longer go out of my way to watch tv news (or internet sources). I've always tried to watch the news from as many sources possible so that I could always get a new or different perspective. (there are always at least 2 sides to a story) And I also confess that I am a believer in government conspiracies, but that is a whole other blog topic! Going back to the topic at hand, I just don't want all that broad-casted junk to get in my head anymore.

One would think that this is due to the economic "crisis" at hand, but I've grown weary of the news and media a while ago. They are like wolves that feed on the warm blood of public fear and irrationality. (I think I just made a new word--and I'm sticking with it!)

There has been a growing buzz around the weakening physical and mental health of the nation. People are overwhelmed with worry and stress because their 401(k)s are not the worth the paper they're printed on. I don't know if its true or not, but I've heard on the news that even suicide is increasingly the forefront of peoples' minds. I feel bad for those people (especially since I have loved ones who are feeling the pain), and I wish I could help them out. I just can't fathom pinning all my hopes and fears on my bank account anymore. Maybe its a good thing that I've never had lots of money, because I just don't know what it would be like to lose it all.

For Robbie and I personally, we've been on "economic lock down" for the past 4 or 5 months due to a change in employment plans. This so called "economic lock down" has been great for us because it has cleared our lives of a lot of junk. On the other hand...not having insurance and worrying about our mortgage have been a little nerve-wracking. The lesson that we have learned through it all: It is ALL His anyways. This is a simple and (overused?) statement in the Christian circle. But I just don't know how to describe it any other way. I remember the exact words that came out of my mouth in conversation before I knew I was going to lose my job: "I need stability. I need a steady income. I just can't live with instability." I hate to paint a picture of a God who seems to sit on a cloud using his binoculars to pick out people who need to be taught a lesson. God doesn't do these things just to punish or prey upon the weak. (Quite the opposite actually!) Sometimes it takes a change in plans to bring about a new life of blessings that people would not have experienced otherwise. When God promises something, He does it. Now, because we are human and can only see our perspective (which is incredibly limited) we tend to expect our own ideas and expectations of "working it all out". Sometimes God works things out how we expect it, and sometimes He chooses a different way; but both outcomes are His.

So where am I going with this blog? I don't know. I'm just sharing my heart. I just wish our society could understand that the love of money is not the reason to live or die. God provides what I need (whether its through a steady job or unexpected unemployment). All that I am, All that I own are His. God gave it to me, and when I have it I need to share it with others; and when the Lord sees fit, He takes it away. But He never leaves me empty or alone.

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