Thursday, May 25, 2006

Article Review

I read this article in our mother's favorite magazine (WORLD magazine) and I really liked it. There's not a lot new in it, as it covers the concept of meditating on God's word, which a concept about as old as dirt, but I really liked how it took on some popular psychology and gave it a run for its money. The article starts off talking about a Christian woman who found help in a secular setting using "Affirmations" (Think Joey on Friends quitting smoking. "I am a strong, confident woman.") Apparently it's not just for sitcoms any more. It is a widely-used tool in counseling circles now, complete with software called Sculptor 3.

Anyway, the guy writing the article was taking Christians to task for dropping the ball on this one, for not utilizing this trend which we've known about since we first encountered the Word. He says, "We are all chatterboxes by nature, chattering silently to ourselves the livelong day. . .If you think about it Affirmations are just clipped stories, and we all live in stories. . .For a Christian there is one true story: God loves you and has proved it by sending His Son to die so you can share in His glory." He goes on to say (and sorry this is such a long quote, but it's so good) "The secular affirmation literature promises, 'Ultimately, the affirmatin will dominate over the previous beliefs, values or identity trait in the person's subconscious and will automatically produce the corresponding behavior.' Nay, not automatically. Prayer and meditation on God's Word are effective not mechanically but because by them we apprehend the Living God."
He closes with a reference to one of my favorite verses, "Why go to strange cisterns when the waters flow abundantly from our own well?"

What a truth this is in my life. As kel mentioned a few posts ago, I concur that I fill my life with so much meaningless noise, the emotional equivalent of several boxes of oreos, it's no wonder I feel so, I don't know, emotionally humgry so much of the time. What I need is the meat of God's truth, so why am I starving myself?

1 comment:

kel said...

I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and gosh darn in, people like me!