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Lately I have been thinking a lot about how I feed my mind, soul and spirit. I know I should feed my mind with things that are going to build me up, not tear me down. Things that are good, not evil. It is no secret that I am a Christian, so my perspective on this topic may have a slightly different angle than some people, but the general premise is the same: Garbage in, garbage out.

There is a great verse in the Bible that talks about just that:

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realised. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”
Philippians 4:8-9 (MSG)

This quote is also very true:

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

The other night, I watched a movie that many of my friends and acquaintances had been raving about for months. Yes, there were some funny moments, and at times I was crying because I was laughing so much. But I have to be honest. Most of the time, I was cringing. I don’t think I’m a fuddy duddy, or a prude, or a boring old fart. But a lot of the humour in this movie was, quite frankly, crude. I wasn’t offended or disgusted, and I didn’t switch it off, but I did start wondering whether I should have been filling my mind with that stuff. Was it going to help me be a better person? Unlikely. Was it going to direct my thoughts toward things that might lead me astray? Possibly.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a laugh. I love to laugh! Sometimes taking a couple of hours to unwind with a funny movie can rejuvenate the soul. After all, laughter is the best medicine. I believe God has a sense of humour, and wants us to laugh and enjoy ourselves. But I don’t think crude = funny. I think funny = funny and crude = crude. There are plenty of great jokes and funny movies that don’t resort to questionable or degrading humour.

It’s the same with music. I love music, and I often find myself tapping along to a song with a great beat. However, I need to remind myself to listen to the words, too. Sometimes the lyrics are so suggestive. If they’re not appropriate for my children to listen to, and if I would be embarrassed to listen with my parents in the room, then I don’t see why I should be listening, either. There are plenty of great songs that don’t stoop that low, and by cutting out the crap, I’m doing myself a favour.

I recently read an article online about this very topic. The author summed things up so well that I thought I would share an excerpt:

“There is much merit to the expression, ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.’ Whatever we meditate on, talk about, listen to or look at, especially on a continual basis, will become a part of who we are and – whether good or bad – will come out of us somehow. Negative thoughts = Negative words = Negative actions … We should always be on guard to what we allow to enter our mind, because it is the battlefield where Satan wages his war against us and where, most times, we fail.”

Something I want to focus on this year is feeding my mind and soul with things that are going to make me a better person. I am going to surround myself with positive people, and keep a close eye on what I allow to infiltrate my thoughts and emotions. I learned last year how freeing it was to finally let go of something that was trying to drag me down. The words and actions of another person were affecting me, because I allowed them to. I no longer allow them to. It feels great not to carry around that negativity and toxicity.

I want to keep living that way. Filling my life with joy. Not happiness, because happiness depends on circumstances, and I have no control over those. Joy comes from somewhere deeper within, from a place in my soul that I feed and nourish on a daily basis. So I want to feed and nourish it with good things. Truth, grace, nobility, authenticity, beauty, purity, love. It won’t be easy, and I will fail sometimes, but I believe it’s worth it.

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