WE ARE WHAT WE CONSUME

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

                When I was a boy, I never thought about what I ate. In fact, I ate everything that I could get my hands on. I was always hungry. No matter how much I ate, I never gained weight. (Oh, for those days!) I remember watching “Leave It to Beaver” or “Father Knows Best” and seeing the kids go to the refrigerator and pull out plates of leftover food. I always wondered where that came from, because those plates never showed up in our refrigerator. Watching what I ate meant trying to get seconds before my brothers finished everything off.  Those days are over for good. I no longer have a problem putting on weight. My problem is taking it off.

                We hear in the news regularly that we have an obesity problem in America. According to the latest statistics 75% of men and 60% of women are overweight or obese. 30% of children are overweight or obese. These numbers have caused many people to start paying attention to what they eat. Someone once quipped, “You are what you eat.” I’m not sure that I completely agree with that statement, but it does raise the issue of being mindful of what we consume.

                Just as what we eat has a great deal to do with our physical health and well-being, so what we listen to and watch has a great deal to do with our spiritual and emotional health. As a society, we have recognized the problems with consuming too much junk food, yet we are unwilling to recognize the problems that come from consuming intellectual junk food.

                The popular media today (movies, TV, music) feeds us a constant diet of distorted sexuality, violence, and disrespect for authority. Then, as a society, we are surprised when these very things manifest themselves in the real world. We vehemently refuse to acknowledge that what people watch and listen to affects the way that they think and act. We see no correlation between explicit sex in the movies with people engaging in illicit sex or perpetuating sexual abuse in our world. We see no correlation between playing violent video games for hours on end and violence acted out in the schools and playgrounds of our country. It is time for us to take our heads out of the sand and wake up to reality. Those who produce this media contend that it is only entertainment. That art just reflects real life. They refuse to admit that art often shapes real life. Let us be honest: we are what we consume.

                The Bible has been shining the light of God on this issue for a long time. It is very clear, for those who have the eyes to see and the will to listen, that what we allow to take up residence in our minds and hearts will shape our lives. Jesus made it clear that our actions are a reflection of the condition of our heart. No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:43-45

                The world that we live in is constantly trying to feed us intellectual junk food. We must always be on our guard about what we allow to enter into our minds. This is a conscious choice on our behalf. Just like we must adjust what we eat, if we want to be healthy. So, we must adjust what we consume intellectually, if we want to be spiritually and emotionally healthy. Paul reminds us that the battle is for the control of our minds. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

                We cannot indiscriminately consume what the world offers us and not be profoundly affected. Just like learning to eat healthy, we must train ourselves to think healthy. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 We must learn to replace the negative messages of the world with the life-giving message of Christ. As the Psalmist has said in Psalm 119:11, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Paul echoes that idea when he writes, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8 The word Paul chose for think does not mean to give these things a passing thought. It means to ruminate or meditate on these things. Let these things permeate your mind and heart.

                Whether we want to admit it or not, we are what we consume. It is important for us to take care of our physical body, but it is essential for us to take care of our mind and our heart.

1 Timothy 4:8

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.