(Amazon)

With all the cold wintry storms in places that normally have milder weather, my husband and I have been watching local and national news more than usual. After a few days of non-stop negative, upsetting, and divisive reporting that didn’t involve the weather, I soon remembered why I decided months ago to avoid such broadcasts. How in the world are you supposed to have a positive mindset with one troubling story after another being reported? Is it any wonder that the occurrence rates of depression among American adults has reached historic levels with roughly one in six (about 18%) experiencing or actually being treated for it.

You can ignore the news and turn to social media for some enjoyment – right? Not such a good idea with all the different opinions being expressed in posts or the argumentative comments that follow. So much information online is also misleading or outright untrue, which also leads to the cultural division we are currently experiencing.

What about sports? Watching competition on the football field or from the Olympic games could be a positive alternative to the other choices. This past weekend we had the Super Bowl where unfortunately, the halftime show got more attention and press than the actual game. Once again we were a divided nation with millions tuning into an alternative halftime offered by Turning Point USA, instead of watching the performer chosen to entertain for the NFL championship. Later I decided to change the channel to watch the Olympics and enjoy watching athletes from around the world competing on a world-wide stage. I love to watch skiing and ice skating, and was lucky enough to catch the pairs ice dancing competition. It was wonderful! Then news broke about a controversy involving a French judge giving the U.S. pair a unusually low score, which resulted in the skaters from France winning the gold medal. Do you see a pattern here? The world today is filled with tension, anger, and bitterness, no matter where you turn. It can affect us all.

This post has a title which leads to a different mindset. It comes from a scripture selection written to help us survive the spiritual warfare we are experiencing today. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally brothers and sisters, 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.” I am to intentionally fill my mind with “good stuff” to help minimize those negative influences. This is the battle plan – filling our minds with positive things will help to overshadow whatever seeks to pull us down. So think on those things.

God bless – Sue