"Protecting My Senses" YOUTH Blog
BLOG for Youth & Teens. God gave us our 5 senses so that we might be intoxicated with the beauty of life. But in today's world we can be overstimulated. So how can we filter the good from the bad?
INSPIRATION
“We have five senses that enable us to see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. These would have been used centering upon perfect love, and eyes, ears, nose, hands, and mouth, each with their senses, would have all become perfected by centering on love. To experience things with our five senses centering on love is an exquisite state. It is like a state of intoxication, only with love. You feel intoxicated by the environment, experiencing a reciprocal relationship with every other being. One never feels alone.” - Rev. Moon - “Total Indemnity” April 3, 1983
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” -Matthew 6:22-23
INTRO
God gave us our 5 senses so that we might be intoxicated with the beauty of life. We can see, hear, feel, taste and smell the delights of the world. What we receive through our senses should bring us joy.
Our senses are also designed to protect us. When we hear a sound in the woods, when we smell fire, when we see flashing lights, when we taste something off and when we feel something hot; these can all be warning signs that alert us to potential danger. When our senses are guided with truth they can help preserve our life.
Reality
The world knows that the best way to sell to you is through stimulating your senses. Bright lights, loud sounds, strong smells, theses are things used to get your attention. If you ever pass by a donut shop you know that smell being pumped out lures you in.
Sex sells better than almost anything. Marketers know that if they can catch your eye through a revealing image they’ve got a hook in you. They use these hooks to get you to buy into a lifestyle or product. Your eyes are often the first way that your attention is caught.
Have you ever walked by a bakery? The smell draws you in. You’re just minding your own business, not thinking you’re hungry but the moment you walk by that all changes. Suddenly a craving, a desire wells up in you and you can’t resist.
THE IDEAL
God gave us our senses so that we can navigate the world around us. We live in a world that is constantly sending messages to us and our senses are the receptors to these messages. Sometimes our senses warn us of impending danger. Flashing lights catch our eyes to let us know that emergency vehicles are coming. We tend to smell smoke in the house before we can see the fire. Alarms ring to alert us of intruders into our homes. We feel the coldness of the air to know that we ought to dress warmer. We taste sour milk and know that it is bad. Our senses alert us so that we can be safe.
Besides protection, our senses are made to receive the beauty that this world is. God created this world to stimulate our emotions, to fill us with joy. With our eyes we can see the beautiful colors of the sunset, with our hands we can feel the smoothness of silk, with our ears we can hear the beauty of music, with our mouths we can taste the wonders of chocolate and with our nose, we can smell the fragrance of fresh-baked cookies.
Impacts
What we take in through our senses informs our mind of the world around us so that we can respond appropriately. The stimulants we engage with guide our thoughts, our words and ultimately our actions.
“Watch your thoughts because they become your words, watch your words because they become your actions, watch your action because they become your habits, watch your habits because they become your character, watch your character because it becomes your destiny.” - Author Unknown
What we are constantly engaging with affects our view on the world and our interactions with it. When we fill our mind with healthy content then it follows that we would act and live in a healthy manner.
When we set our senses on unhealthy content then it follows that our actions and lifestyle
become unhealthy.
What are some things that are unhealthy, that can lead us down a path of self-hurt?
Pornography- This is obvious, it is alluring and exciting but also sets in our mind what sex is, a misrepresentation of how to treat other people’s bodies and sets a tone of objectification. Porn tells us that people are merely sex objects. You are too valuable to give yourself into this low view of humanity.
Negative Music- Some music is so full of poison and hatred that it can affect the way we think about ourselves and the world around us.
Movies and shows- Some shows only show the bad in people and the world, these can leave you feeling helpless and angry. Many times too, this avenue also bombards us with an unhealthy view of relationships, sex, and our bodies. Leaving us confused about what is appropriate and normal. It is so pervasive and misleadingly powerful that we do not even realize that we are being affected by it and that it is influencing our choices.
Talk- Some of your friends only talk negatively, objectify others, use cuss words and hurtful language. You might not think much of it but if you are around it long enough it will be draining on your spirit and you may find yourself unintentionally speaking in the same way.
Resolution
Instead, try putting healthy content in your life. The world is full of awesome and amazing things. People are awesome, nature is awesome, science is awesome and music is awesome.
There is so much to behold that will encourage you and leave you feeling better about yourself and others. Immerse yourself in the things that add value to your life. Remove yourself from the people, places and things that only drag you down.
Take control of your life. Don’t be sold on what others want your life to be. Don’t let someone else take control of your life. Do you want your life to be filled with love, joy and beauty? Then claim it and be intentional about what you let into your body.
You are made to experience incredible joy in this life. Go out into the world and seize the beauty.
PRAYER POINTS
Pray that you can see the world through God’s eyes.
Pray to be protected from junk content.
Pray to overcome the draws of the world and be true to yourself.
TIPS
JOURNALING
HEARING: Take some time to think about the music you like to listen to. Listen to some of it and write down how you feel after. Do you notice the impact of different genres on your state of mind? Try to consider how you could choose music to brighten your mood.
SEEING: The things we watch can impact our hearts and minds. Write down some of your favorite movies and shows. Why are these your favorites? Do these shows make you feel better or worse about yourself and the world around you? This is an exercise to help you think about the real impact media can have on your everyday life.
OTHER
Pray for clarity through the noise. Everything is reaching for your attention, ask God to clear the air and help you see what is good for your soul and leave the rest behind.
Talk to your parents, how did they navigate pressures of fitting in? How have they found ways to take control of their environment and not let the media set the tone for their lives?
