"the battle right now is for the narrative;"

A thought by John Eldridge in his book, Resilient (p. 34). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

It really is.

Earlier John says, "It’s almost shocking when we realize how spun up we’ve been. 'Don’t freak out' is essentially what Jesus was saying. This advice is drilled into every form of military training and survival course—when things get hot, don’t freak out. Keep your cool so you can make good decisions."

He says, ". . . a simple, satisfying step is to get your head out of the 'wars and rumors of wars' and back into the story God is telling. For example: the story of God should get more of your 'attention time' than any other media.

"If you spend thirty minutes a day consuming what is called news (this includes all social media), then you need to spend more than thirty minutes—maybe twice as much—in the Scriptures or listening to biblical podcasts. Instead of using your downtime to scroll through Facebook or Instagram, use it to read something that reminds you of the story of God—a psalm, a good sermon, even a simple quote."

He goes on, "Remember—the battle right now is for the narrative; who gets to frame the story for you? Either it will be God, or someone else. If you are 'alarmed,' something has drawn your attention away from the story of God. Let your fears, anxieties, anger, or rage alert you that you’ve been taken hostage; stop and get your bearings."

He then says, "A friend of mine got completely addicted to the news during the 2020 pandemic and US presidential election (which was full of drama). He realized how upset he had become from the daily consumption, so he quit. Cold turkey. He walked away from the news for six months. You might think that irresponsible, but Jesus gave us a simple test: you shall know them by their fruit. The fruit of the media consumption was stress, anger, depression, and rage. The fruit of walking away? In my friend’s own words, 'I have more peace and joy in my life now than I ever have.' "

And I believe that is what He wants for us even in the time we are going through. Yes, yes! #continuethought

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