Esther shares her thought for the week; read all about it.
I don’t know about you, but I despair nowadays when I see “breaking news”, a news flash or special coverage on my screen or other social media outlets. There is always something terrible happening somewhere in the world.
When I was younger, the news used to have a fairly good balance, I can remember hearing news like a member of the royal family has had a baby or got married. England has won the World Cup, oops, I meant nearly won the World Cup or the latest fashion trend.
Funnily we still hear those things on the news, the difference is, unlike years ago, I don’t believe there was so much negative content and the news was once a day and was later changed to twice a day. Now you hear it 24/7 you can follow the news instantaneously by pressing a button. One thing that hasn’t changed on the news is the weather, I could talk about that all day long!
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and burdened by the constant stream of negative news that bombards us daily. How times have changed, we are in an ever-changing world. But I thank God that He never changes. It’s important to remember that in Biblical times there was also good news and bad news for example: we know that there were wars, famines and of course the birth of Jesus, unlike today there was no social media. I would imagine it took quite a while for news to travel back then!
What is the answer? I have three points that have helped me:
- As a Christian when I hear bad news, I can do 2 things I can trust God. Why? Because I have experienced His faithfulness over and over again. Or I can worry and talk about the what-ifs in this life and drown in my sorrows.
- Ultimately the news or any other earthly source will not give me peace. That doesn’t mean I should stick my head in the sand and ignore what’s happening around me, but I should be careful not to let the news consume me or control my thoughts and emotions.
- Another thing that has helped me, is to limit my exposure to the news. I try not to watch it all day or scroll through social media constantly because I know how it can become a distraction. Instead, I focus on filling my mind and heart with positive things like uplifting conversations with friends and family. I visit garden centres and spend far too much money on plants, take my granddaughter to soft play and generally try to maintain good mental health.
Your future and mine rests in God’s hands. It doesn’t rest in the breaking news or the newspapers. Proverbs tells us to:
Trust in the Lord and lean not unto our own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5
We are told to cast our cares on the Lord and He will sustain us. He will never let the righteous be shaken. The word sustain means to strengthen, support and hold us up. God may not take us out of the situation immediately, but His sustaining grace will bring us through it.
Finally, we can take comfort in knowing that God is in control, even when things seem chaotic and uncertain. We can trust that He will strengthen us and bring us through whatever challenges we may face. So, let’s seek guidance in all things to the one who sees, hears and answers because he knows it all.
In finishing, don’t lose hope, this world is not our own we are just passing through. There are brighter days coming and that’s a promise.
Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.