Garbage In, Garbage Out

A proverbial saying that has guided people to a greater awareness of healthy living is the phrase, "You are what you eat." The notion is that to be both fit and achieve physical wellness, you need to eat good food. That last thought is relative to the individual because what you consider good nutrition may be counterproductive in reaching your fitness goals. You may like a bag of chips and ice cream, but putting that in the tank daily will yield unfavorable results!

‌Likewise, putting the garbage of the world into your mind and heart will produce an outflow of junk. Sometimes, that trash will be evidenced in how you talk and other times in how you treat others because the principle of life remains: Garbage in, Garbage out!

‌Proverbs 4:23 provides a practical warning when it says, "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." The idea of this piece of wisdom is that you need to be vigilant in what you are listening to, watching, doing, and thinking about. Let's face it: our society is littered with seductive programming on TV and social media platforms. If we allow ourselves to be sucked in, garbage will flood our minds, our thoughts will become unhealthy, and eventually our actions will follow. Remember, long before we do something foolish, we are thinking about that foolishness. See, the garbage of the world feeds our folly.

‌Likewise, if we are struggling with discouragement, we must stop watching the news and scrolling through social media. These practical steps and other examples that may be more relevant to your current situation will protect you in the long run.

‌In the big picture, we need to adopt the focus of Psalm 101:2a, which says, "I will be careful to live a blameless life..."