Change The Station.
When I was a kid, I was the remote control and the antenna adjuster. If my parents didn't like what was on, they told me to get up and change the station. If they found a show they wanted to watch but the TV reception was fuzzy, I was also the antenna adjuster. I had to go outside and spin the tall (very tall to a 8 year old skinny kid) antenna. I always remember my dad hollering, "Back the other direction. Wait. Too far. Back the other way. You're close. Ok. Right there. Wait... No... That's good. You can come back inside." I wondered, "If the antenna is good today, why am I going to adjust it tomorrow night? Who's moving the antenna around while we are at work and school?". My childhood imagination created a number of scenarios for why it was always happening.
In the days of cable and dish TV, wireless this and wireless that, remote controls, etc., I'm not asking my kids to change the station or go adjust the antenna. Somehow I think my kids have missed out on significant life lessons. But, as an adult I have discovered that I still need to change the station. I need better reception. It's not a TV station, a satellite music station or a Spotify station. It's the station in my head. I need to change the station in my thinking.
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we make everyday. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”
Because of our fears, our insecurities, our anxieties, our embarrassments and our shame, we are all too often tuned into the signal of "this is what's wrong with me". The noise - and that's all it is. Noise fosters a negativity within my own heart and mind that is debilitating, disempowering, disappointing and discouraging (The Killer D's). You and I don't have to listen to that station. Change the station.
It's time we listen to another song, another sound, another voice... We are always tuned into something and my desire is that you and I tune into the things that God is saying. Let our attitudes, beliefs, hopes and aspirations be influenced by the station of God's love, God's word and God's voice. Here's how I change the station:
1. BE HONEST. Admit that I am listening to something/someone.
2. BE BRAVE. Assess how what/who I am listening to is affecting my attitude, beliefs, hopes and dreams.
3. BE PROACTIVE. Change the station by remembering and rehearsing the most recent thing God said to me, God stories (testimonies) and God's word.
4. BE BOLD. Declare the most recent thing God said to me and the God stories, in prayer and worship. My words will be a weapon.
5. BE EXPECTANT. Assess how the new what/who I am listening to and what I'm declaring is improving the quality of my attitude, beliefs, hopes and dreams.
6. BE VULNERABLE. Share with a spouse, family member and/or close friend what you have done and how it has added life and health to your soul and life.
I hope these simple tips can help you change the station and find something healthier to watch and listen.