Sunday, January 8, 2012

Who do I follow?

Choosing how we spend our time has to be one of the most important decisions we make.  Especially as a mom with small kids.  It seems like the minutes run into each other and fly by until the day is gone and I collapse into bed exhausted.  Most of those minutes are not 'mine': the time dedicated to serving my family and performing the duties required to keep the household and mini-farm running.

But then there are those brilliant silver flashes of time where the children are playing in the other room, or the unlikely event happens where they are all sleeping at the same time, or the 2 1/2 minutes behind the locked bathroom door, or finally, bedtime.  The temptation in those moments is for me to grab another gear, kick it into overdrive and get things done!  And sometimes that is what I need in order to get through the day.

Sometimes, though, I need a little boost; something to feed my soul, encourage me, make me feel and think like an adult, to keep me on the right path.

So what do I read, listen to, who do I allow to influence me in those brief silver moments?  Whose philosophies, theology, parenting advice, humor, and decorating advice do I allow to change my thinking?

I was affirmed in my quest for saturation by Julie Ann Barnhill, author of She's Gonna Blow!  The first strategy she recommends for conquering the volcano - achieving control over anger in mothering, is to 'Stay in the Word'.  I believe her strategies are effective for overall self-control, not just anger.  She explains that it 'is possible to be both a busy mom and a woman of the Word.  But you might need to be flexible in your expectations during the years when uninterrupted time simply doesn't exist.'

She goes on to list many practical ways to help accomplish this goal, one way being to find a way to 'help you devour Scripture in manageable "bites".'  I've been making use of my smart phone to help me to this end, subscribing to a daily scripture reading through Google reader.  I nearly always have my phone on me, so whenever I have a minute, I whip it out and feed my soul with a little bite of truth.

I'm also subscribed to several blogs, and am fed by the encouragement, challenge, humor, and much practical advice applicable to my life from the keyboards of other men and women.  However, it seems that everybody has a blog these days, and no particular education or credential is required.  As is evident by my ramblings! :)

So who am I going to allow to influence my thinking?  While many of them are good and based on the truth of Scripture, some appear to be, however upon closer look or when a bit of research is done on the author, there are  discrepancies between their beliefs and the Truth.

I don't think that I should only read things or listen to things that only line up with my own beliefs and convictions, after all I have been made aware many times that what I believe is not complete and have had to do some additional study to realign my thinking.  But it is important to be wearing the "goggles" of Scripture when reading or listening, to test what is said with the litmus paper of Christ, and keep the good, throw out the bad.

Keeping in the Word, God's word, is the best way to evaluate the rest!

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.  2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;  3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.  2 Peter 2: 1-3  NASB

No comments: