Amusment

I have been thinking some more about the verses from last week:

Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)
⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

In the last blog I wrote about how we can think about these things to combat worry or with other thoughts we are struggling.  As I have thought about it more and more though I have come to realize that I have a bunch of other coping mechanisms that help me combat the things that I don’t want to face.  I am addicted to distraction.  I go from video to video, from game to game.  I am even one of those people that always take my phone to the bathroom so I can play or read something while I am in there.  (Too much information I know).   I love walking into a library and realizing that I should never be bored.  If I took my whole life I would never run out of things to read just in my local branch of the Cambridge Library.  I have come to realize though, what I am really celebrating when I think this is that my supply of things to distract me will never run out. 

I am addicted to amusement.  Amusement literally means to “not think” (‘a’ as a prefix meaning not and ‘muse’ meaning think).  Sometimes I chose entertainment that is contrary to the list in Philippians that I am supposed to think on. I need to stop but more often I just choose things that distract.  I can even use theological training to distract me.  Sometimes it feels safer to learn about God than to spend time with Him.   

I usually bounce from one distraction to another without taking time to think about them (or anything).  I have to ask myself: “When do I take some time to just think?”  This may just be my confession but I urge you to examine yourself.  When do you take time to think? Do you think on these things?

“whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”

Mark Wallace