It's Hard to Stay Focused

[HKHaugan]

It’s Hard to Stay Focused

In these “Out and About” chapters the theme has been to stay spiritually alert wherever you are with whomever you are in the day-to-day atmosphere in which you live. It is especially hard when the media pummels us all as we move around. Media are designed to make money and the way they do it is to keep your attention centered on what its designers believe will keep you tuned in. Look at the following listing: the bizarre (that’s intentional because it sells), the bleating of minority paranoia (that’s intentional because it sells), carnage in war, natural climatic tragedy at home (that’s intentional because it sells), sex; its heroes and its abusers (that’s intentional because it sells), divisive reportage that keeps ethnic groups emotionally embroiled (that’s intentional because it sells), keeping economic unsettledness before us (that’s intentional because it sells), rape, murder, incest, robbery, scandals in every field (all intentional because they sell). Listen closely to questions reporters ask. They intend to rile and then file for later use to keep us upset.

The media are designed to hold you emotionally attached to issues over which no individual has control. All we have is opinion and that opinion shaped without the benefit of personal involvement or knowledge. That’s the point. Even the writers know little. They only write from second-hand knowledge dressed in opinion. And they are really good at it. Politics, economics, religion, sports and the emotions they stir up are the means to sell what their advertisers offer. Media moguls have experience in how to keep all of us on the edge of our personal ego trips.

Ever hear of sin? This word may not be a conscious tool in the minds of media practitioners but it certainly is rampant in the halls of media decision-making. Media are manipulative as they exploit ethnic, class, political, racial and economic differences. Using the opinions of fringe groups that may not number more than 6 people gives them fodder for media exploitation. The more the spirit of divisiveness is used the more feverish emotions are aroused. Exploit the emotional furor and you have an abundance of stories to sell. How much of the economic and racial upset in recent history has not been the result of media exploitation? Add to these pride, getting ‘the story,’ winning an award, employing talking heads to appear sophisticated and knowledgeable, then engineered to smile or be serious at the right time, saturated in studied but fake objectivity. Look beneath the surface of what you see. They are simply extensions of sin enticing us to buy in. None of us are free from their grasping tentacles ready to wrap themselves around our mind, our emotions, our hearts and our spirits.

The media are like an enormous vacuum cleaner drawing us into the dust bag of frustration, helplessness and hopelessness. Their lure is to isolate us in the issues of the moment and alienate us from the long term biblical values of committed patience, prayer, Scriptural reasoning and trusting God’s will which have ‘no place to lay their head’ in the purposefully manufactured ‘heats of the moment.’

God, faith and spiritual thinking don’t sell. Personal and interpersonal heated opinion does. Note again when we place the Cross over these two that the first is the vertical beam rejected and the latter is the skewing of the horizontal beam.

When you apply the ‘Out and About’ theme to the media issue understand this, the media leadership won’t change. The change has to take place in us. We must recognize when we stand on the precipice of being drawn into the pit of controversy or mastering the moment by knowing God’s will we have a choice. We can choose self or God. Scripture says this; “The work of God for you is to believe on the One He has sent (John 6:29).”

Several ways to overcome the temptation to react in haste:

First, remember that you are a disciple of Jesus, an image of God and a spiritual being before you identify yourself as a political, economic, intellectual, ethnic or religious individual (Gen.1:27).

Second, you know the end of the story. God wins, therefore you win (Rev.21:22-27).

Third, Scripture gives us momentary foot brakes, “Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly (2Tim.2:14-16),” and “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires (James 1:19-20).”

We are constantly living in the throes of political competition. But hear this, there is no salvation through politics. Only in Jesus can we find a solution to the constant turmoil of sin and the media barrage that complicates it. Life starts in a faith relationship with the Lord. His thinking is the way and His Spirit is life. Our task is to present Jesus, keep our thinking Jesus centered, our hearts Spirit led and our spirits faithfully presenting Jesus. “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Col.4:6)” and “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,…(1Peter 3:15).” Stay focused on Jesus.