In October, Jim went on an Emmaus Walk. If you have never been, I encourage you to find out more about the weekend, there just aren't words to describe the weekend. I went on my Walk in 2013 and tried to describe my time, but didn't have the words (although I tried in a blog post). I still don't! It can be a truly life changing weekend. Jim's walk has changed not just him, but our entire family. I have been challenged in so many ways since he has been home. Jim came home and has really put Christ in the center of his life...and in doing so, has made me focus so much more as well. By following Jim's example, I am learning to keep Christ as my center as well.
One of the things I am being led to do, is watch what I am filling myself with. I love to read...almost any type of book. I just finished a book for my book club and as I was reading, I was being nudged. The book was very suspenseful and very dark. My heart would race as I was reading because of the subject matter. It was a good book, but was it good for me? Do I need a book that talks about the darker side of life? It the book nourishing me in a positive way? How would I feel if D started to read this book? I have decided that I need to monitor the type of books that I read. I don't think that everything has to be happy, fluffy, and fun, but I want the books to have a more positive message for me.
Jim and I have also been discussing the movies that we have in our house and the tv shows that we watch. Not everything has to be family friendly, but we want things that we don't have to worry about what Delainey will see if she watches them. I don't have a problem with movies that are fantasy, like the Harry Potter movies, or even the Hunger Game movies. The Hunger Game movies are not age appropriate for D yet, but there will be a time when she will be okay to watch them. Other movies that we have, I don't see us sitting down as a family to watch them ever, so why am I still keeping them? Don't think that we have a stash of X-rated movies laying around the house, we don't. But do we need to keep movies that have more adult themed material? Probably not.
I am not going to judge anyone for what they are reading, watching, or listening to. Everyone has to make their own decisions about what is acceptable. I am just finding that my level of acceptance for me is changing. I want things to fill my mind with positive thoughts and images. I don't want to read a book that scares me with what could be. I don't want to watch a movie that is full of images that I don't need to see. I want to take steps to keep my books and movies appropriate for me and my family. I think that this will be a painful process for me. I don't like to let books and movies go, but for me, it feels like that is what I am being led to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment