We’ve all been there. That zombie feeling when you’ve binge-watched too much TV and feel out of sorts with yourself. Or you’ve had your phone in your hand too much for a day, and you feel guilty about only giving your children half your attention. Or perhaps you just read a book that wasn’t as “closed-door romance” as you thought, and you feel distressed over not skipping those pages or even putting down the book entirely. As Christians, there’s a reason we feel unsettled or regretful after we consume something we know we shouldn’t have—whether that’s the amount of content or the content itself. Either way, the reason it produces a response in us is that our media habits have profound effects on us. The books we read, the podcasts and music we listen to, the TV we watch, the social media we consume—all of it is formative to our souls. As the old saying goes, “What goes in must come out.” If we’re feeling anxious, tired, angry, or overwhelmed, a good thing to evaluate is our media consumption.
To grow as Gospel Moms, we want to choose a quantity and quality of media that help us love God more, not less. If we have a toxic media diet, whether that means excessive social media consumption, heavy partisan news sources, or raunchy podcasts, it’s going to poison our hearts and shift our love toward sin instead of righteousness. Scripture tells us that what is in our hearts is what comes out in our day-to-day lives: “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). But media can also be used to stir our emotions toward Christ. Remember, God is the originator of story, art, and beauty, and through using wisdom, we can find books, movies, and podcasts that stir our emotions toward worship. So we have to consistently ask, Is media helping or hurting my love for Christ? Here are a few questions for beginning the habit of curation:
• Does this media help me love God more?
• Does this media treat humans with dignity and respect as image bearers of God (even when it displays the complexity of human experience and emotion)?
• Does this media shape my emotions in a way that makes it so I can’t sleep or function regularly in daily life?
• Am I using this media as an unhealthy distraction or a way to check out from my real-life responsibilities?
As Gospel Moms, what are we giving our time and attention to? Let’s curate our media habits in a way that shapes our love and therefore our worship toward the only one worthy of it: Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Mom, by Emily A. Jensen and Laura Wifler, shows moms how to navigate their everyday decisions and current circumstances through a biblical lens, and experience the freedom and confidence in who God made them to be.
As friends, fellow moms, and expert guides, Emily and Laura walk you step-by-step through the practices and thinking of how to rest in the grace of Christ, gaining peace and assurance in your motherhood.
Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.
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