A few years ago I began a Facebook page that was intended to celebrate blessings in our lives. After a few months the page essentially went dormant. I don’t think that the blessings well ran dry. I do think that celebrating blessings is a alien concept that may be contrary to our sinful nature. When we look around us we don’t look for blessings, unity and hope. Instead we look for tragedy, brokenness and despair.
I have to admit that I am a news junkie. I remember staying up so that I could watch the 11 o’clock news before Johnny Carson with my father. I had a Newsweek subscription in high school and now regularly read the news from my AP news feed on my smartphone. Recently, Colin my seven year old, has been interested in the news. He is fascinated by the rash of Tornados. I am cautious about this new interest. I’m glad that he is worried about others and interested in how people are affected by tragedy. On the other hand, new programs have become more graphic and are 99% bad news.
Growing up I was always told that I had an old soul. I was more likely to be watching Abb
ot and Costello than the children’s programs. I have always had an appreciation for music and culture beyond my own generation. One component that I remember was being excited to see News Reels when watching old movies. In my logical adult mind I know that often they were simply propaganda, but in my nostalgic mind I wish we had news that was more like that. In contrast to today’s media, News Reels always seemed to be filled with good news and hope. Why is it that good news, happy news is now considered fluff and not real journalism?
I have a feeling that if we had more reporting of good news we might find a more hopeful spirit within our life. I’m not advocating for us to bury our head in the sand and deny that there is radical evil in the world. I just wonder what it would look like work towards a counterbalance.
I believe that this is the very nature of the Christian life. Yes the world is broken and we need to see that reality, but we must also testify to the real Good News, which leads to hope and fruitful life.
Beginning next week I am going to attempt to regularly post a positive news story on my Blog and once again as for people to share blessings. We are people of hope and it’s time that we life into hope.
Geoff, I completely agree with you. Even the weather channel has become a heart wrenching thing to watch with all the recent natural disasters. I don’t watch much TV at all and even less news. My older brother called me one day last week while driving to work and said, did you hear the news about “so and so” (that woman that is on trial for killing her daughter) I had no idea what he was even talking about. He said, “are you serious? don’t you watch the news?” I replied, “no Mark, I rarely watch it.” For me, there is enough drama in our daily lives with co-workers, friends and family I just feel why would I want to hear more depressing stuff?
I am one of those people that will always see the cup half full. It’s just who I am. I am trying to teach my kids this as well. I can’t say that we never watch the news because when the Tsunami hit we could not get enough of it. My heart literally ached for those people. It touched me becasue I work with so many Japanese people and they were hurting and trying to find their loved ones back home. However, as we watched the tragedy unfold on TV it gave me the opportunity to teach my kids that we should never take anything for granted. We are never promised tomorrow here on earth. Although I do not want them to ever worry about things such as this I tell them that we need to be extra thankful for the things that we do have right now. Our health being the MOST important. Being money strickened, you can always find work. Losing posessions can always be replaced. But when your health goes bad, it’s the doctors and FAITH that will pull you through.. it is not in OUR control. I tell them all the time about my cancer and show them pictures of when I was bald and tell them EVERY day how much I love them and am so thankful that I am still here. Sometimes we cry but they are happy tears.
I do not try to shelter my kids from the negative news that appears to be everywhere today. I try to answer their questions with a positive thought. You CAN find something positive in every negative situation. Sometimes it is harder than others but it can be done.
It saddens me every single day that there is so much negativity in the world. It is SO EASY to feed into it too. It takes a very strong will to stay focused. I fall at times myself. But I pray about it and the Lord pulls me through it or Jillian, my 7 year old, will whip me into shape and say, “MOM!! Stop being so negative!” It’s an amazing thing to me when a 7 yr old knows what being negative is. I feel I’m doing a great job with my kids. We, as parents, can only teach them by example. They are like sponges and everything we do, say, feel, act or “react” is soaked up by them. They pick up on things so much more than we know.
I have even found the radio stations around the area are vulgar and negative. Always making fun of someone or something. The only station in my car that plays now is 104.9 The River… Positive and Uplifting and kid safe.
I look forward to your positive stories! You are inspiring me to start posting my own positive thoughts…. maybe in my Notes on facebook. See you there! =)
AMEN to Sharlyn. I was feeling very negative today – thanks for the reminder – time to get a grip!
NO news for me – I get all the news I need to know from FB. Seriously – I learned about Japan, Bin Laden, tornadoes and flooding all from FB friends who are news junkies. And my kids get enough bad news just from their friends, they don’t need it from any electronic media. I was torn about telling them about a mom at the school who is expected to die any day from cancer. With a dad who has battled cancer 2 times in their short lives – so they could choose to hear that and get scared he might get sick again. Instead, I hope they are just thankful for what they DO have and not spend each day worrying what might happen – and the bad news on TV just feeds that mentality.