You are what you eat

Have you ever heard the saying, "You are what you eat?" If that was true, as a child I would have turned into a giant pizza.

While you don't literally turn into the food you consume, what you eat does have an impact on your health and the way your body fuctions.

The same is true mentally and spiritually.

What we allow our mind to consume will likely have a significant impact on our emotions, our thoughts, and our actions. So here is a question to ponder:

What is your mind eating?

Let's go back to the idea of eating food for a minute. If someone wants to be in good physical health, they will mostly eat foods filled with nutrients and other things their body needs. Many of these people will allow themselves to enjoy desserts and junk food from time to time, but I highly doubt many of them eat something that is poisonous or might cause serious illness or death.

But when it comes to what we allow our minds to consume, how many of us "eat" things that could be poisonous or even deadly?

I am not advocating a legalistic approach that says we only watch "Christian" movies and listen to "Christian" music. I don't think we need to spend every day reading the Bible and nothing else. But, we need to be discerning about what we do watch, listen to, and read.

The apostle Paul had this to say...

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)

We are what we think. Our mind is the engine that shape our values and actions. What we allow to shape our minds will determine who we become.

While there is nothing wrong with mental junk food from time to time (isn't that why YouTube exists?), we shouldn't consume things that poison us. We need to be intentional about what informs and transforms our mind.

Obviously, the Bible must be a part of our mental diet. It is a significant and essential way that God speaks to us and transforms us. But there are many areas of our life where we use our own judgment to determine what we consume.

As Paul rightly acknowledged in the passage above, our goal should be to understand God's will so we can offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. If we want to remain true to our calling, what is the benefit of filling our minds with images, words, and thoughts that contradict the very Kingdom we are called to embody?

So where do we start? Rather than looking for a legalistic list of things to watch and not watch, we should embrace the freedom we have in Christ, be honest withourselves, and make the choice that is best.

shine!

Jason