You Are What You Eat
There's a saying that goes something like, "Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future."
The basic sentiment is that those who you surround yourself and spend time with will shape who you become.
This principle doesn't just apply to friends and relationships, though. In fact, in our age of dwindling social circles, your friends may have less of an effect on shaping who you are than ever before.
To rephrase this saying; "Show me the media you consume, and I'll show you your future."
It is very rare to find someone with a truly unique opinion and perspective.
If I were to have a list of all the media that you consume on a daily basis, I could quite confidently predict your take on any issue.
There's nothing inherently wrong with this. You could absolutely do the same thing to me. However, today, with so much media available for easy consumption, our every waking moment is filled with some voice speaking and shaping who we are. Not only have we, by and large, removed any opportunity to hear ourselves think, we have removed any opportunity to hear God speak.
This feels like the most obvious thing ever, but it's something I forget all the time, so I feel it must be said out right.
If you aren't setting aside time to hear God's voice, you aren't being shaped by Him. If you aren't being shaped by God's voice, you're being shaped by someone else.
It's plain and simple. There are numerous voices that you can listen to. We can hear these voices everywhere we turn. They show up in the News Media, Social Media, Entertainment Media.
It feels a bit reductive to say, but it feels quite true. Media is the medium of the voice of the world.
You are the media you consume.
But, if Media is the voice of the world, does it matter what media you consume? Isn't consuming any of it consuming the voice of the world?
Yup. Pretty much.
I'm not going to be one who says all media is bad, and we need to consume absolutely none of it. Most media is fairly harmless and contributes very little towards shaping who we are. But, there is still a lot that is harmful and steers us away from God and towards the things of the world.
As I've said previously, a simple metric is a fear check. If a piece of media causes any ounce of fear in you, it's steering you away from God.
So, while I'm not advocating cutting out all media, I am saying it'd be prudent to cut out fear based media (mainly the news honestly), be attentive to the media we consume, knowing that it will shape who we are, and consume the voice of God instead of the voice of the world.
But, if Media is the voice of the world, what does it look like to listen to the voice of God instead? Does that mean consuming more Christian media? Listening to sermons instead of the news? Reading the Bible instead of watching Netflix?
Actually no. Not at all. Christian Media is actually still Media. It's still not the voice of God. It's still the voice of the world.
It's definitely a much 'safer' route to go, generally. But, I've seen my fair share of fear based 'Christian' media. Christian media can absolutely still shape you into being a horrible person.
With Christian media, there is also an argument of quality. There is plenty of great Christian art and media, but there's plenty that's a mound of trash as well. Plenty of Christian movies and music exist purely because the Christian market has been trained to accept any amount of slop that has the 'Christian' label on it.
Consuming bad quality Christian media is no different than eating bad quality food. It's going to make you ultimately feel sick.
So, no, Christian media is not a substitute for the voice of God.
I'm aware this is a controversial take, but the Bible isn't the same as the voice of God either. Not in and of itself at least.
So, what is the voice of God, and how can it be heard?
Then the LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by." And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice. 1 Kings 19:11-12 (BSB)
The voice of God is a still, small voice that is heard in moments of silence.
God speaks in a whisper that is often drowned out by the noise of the world. To hear this whisper, we need to create times to listen for it. To hear the whisper of God, we need times when the voice of the world is silent.
While this is easiest to achieve in times of silent prayer and meditation, it is possible to hear God's still, small voice speak through all forms of Media.
This, is what is behind the reason that there's no need to cut out all media. Media that isn't actively shouting over the voice of God leaves space for His voice to be heard if you listen for it.
This is also why the Bible is often considered to be the voice of God. It leaves plenty of space for God's voice to be heard, and reading it puts us in the right mindset to tune our ears to the sound of God's whisper. But, God's voice is truly something whispered underneath the words of the text. The Bible is simply a tool that aids in slowing down enough to hear the still, small voice of God.
Reading the Bible simply to read it will shape us into the traditions of the world that have been placed around the Bible. Reading it to hear God's voice is what will cause us to be shaped by God's voice.
While it's possible to hear the silent whisper of God's voice amidst the noise of the world, it is a difficult and exhausting endeavor that takes a lot of practice.
Recently, I have found myself overwhelmed and exhausted by the constant noise that I welcome into my world on a daily basis. It has become a little more difficult to find the moments of silence long enough to allow the voice of God to shape me.
I'd like to present a challenge to you and myself that will retune our ears to hear the voice of God.
While, I've said there's no need to fully cut out all media, times of fasting can be quite beneficial. I propose the challenge of a full media fast as we enter into a new year.
Let us cut out all forms of Media of the world. Let's turn off all the voices trying to tell us what to think and who to be and only listen to the still, small voice of God and allow him to shape us as He wills.
Then the LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by." And a great and mighty [news] tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the [news]. After the [news] there was [entertainment], but the LORD was not in the [entertainment]. After the [entertainment] there was [the] [social internet], but the LORD was not in the [social internet]. And after the [social internet] came [silence].
Let us tune out the voice of the News Media, Entertainment Media, and Social Media and embrace silence to hear God's still, small voice.
Let's choose to begin out 2025 shaped by God's voice instead of the voice of the world. Let's see what happens when, for a month, the only thing molding and shaping us is the voice of God. I can't wait to see who we become.
You are Love.