Watering With Coke?

If life is like a box of chocolates, is it any wonder our Bibles end up at the bottom of the TBR pile?

My nine year old has a voracious sweet tooth. I hate to even give in to her first craving of the day, because I know by lunchtime she’ll have driven me batty with her requests for more. Sugar feeds sugar. And more is never enough! I might try offering her a perfectly healthy alternative such as sunflower seeds or a mozzarella stick, but who am I kidding? Such choices fall flat before her bouncing taste buds.

Because when you fill up on junk, you lose your taste for quality.

Now the books in our TBR piles are not to be equated with junk! I just used that example to grab your attention. Whatever habits we have clogging up our spiritual digestive processes, as Christians and parents we must be aware of their effects and ask ourselves:

“Is there garbage in my life, or in the lives of my children that makes God’s word pale in comparison?”

Here are two suggestions:

1. Monitor media intake: TV, internet, radio, books, magazines, computer games, etc
2. Carefully evaluate the influences you do allow according to Philippians 4:8-9:

“Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right. whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things…and the God of peace shall be with you.” (NASB)

If we make sure that what we’re reading, seeing, and hearing conforms to this Philippians 4:8 standard of what our minds should be thinking on, then not only will our spiritual outlook be increasing and healthy, but our cups will begin to overflow.

It’s a pruning and re-training process, difficult on everyone, but with rich rewards.

Do we want a caffeine-sustained life or the satisfaction of our Savior’s living water?

“By their fruits, ye shall know them…” Matthew 7:20