(See part one here.) What you allow into your ears effects your moods & attitudes. Keith is so good about putting good music on for our family during dinner or on Sunday morning as we prepare for church. It helps put good thoughts in our heads & a song in our hearts as we go about our business. I haven’t been so faithful at remembering this lately, but when you sense attitude problems cropping up in your home, try putting on some good music & see what happens. Everyone has different tastes in music, but something with Scripture is always appropriate. Whether it be children’s music or guitar, or whatever, it will change the mood of your home.
Have you ever thought about the attitudes your TV is promoting? Okay, this is gonna sound a bit prudish, but it’s a good example. We don’t want our kids to watch the live action Charlotte’s Web for just this reason. First of all the cartoon is CLASSIC & great as is. Not only that, but the new version gives Fern a crumby attitude toward her father. It’s been a while since I saw it, but I remember being disheartened by what they did to her – made her disrespectful toward her dad over killing the pig, making the dad look really bad. Your kids will imitate what they see & hear. It just happens!
The same thing happens to us, we just think we’re too grown up for it. The problem with that is, if we see bad attitudes, etc. & decide we can “handle it” & go on watching the shows that promote that stuff, our sensitivity to it fades & we get hardened to it. If the kids are around, no matter how young, they are effected by it as well. You probably don’t watch soap operas because of the “trash”, but what about the trashy attitude in that sitcom or movie? Does the woman in the show you’re watching come off looking smarter than the man? Does the show always make the man out to look like the ignorant fool? Do you want to think/feel that way about the man God gave you? Do you want your kids doing that to their daddy? Than we shouldn’t be allowing that attitude in our homes no matter where it comes from. We don’t let the kids call each other stupid, but we watch women on TV do the same thing in multiple ways to their men? Why? Is that really funny?
I find it interesting how our culture lets shows do that to men, but let them try putting on a show making women out to be the fool every time & see how long it’s on the air. The woman is always right. Even in commercials! Watch them & see the ratio where women dominate & men are put down vs. women being the brunt of end of the joke. Don’t you think that effects you & your attitude? Do you enjoy shows where the woman is always the buxom dumb bimbo? What do you think your man is feeling if/when you watch shows where the man is being disrespected & trashed constantly?
We need to be just as vigilant about the attitudes in shows & movies as we are about the language. There are a boatload of supposedly children’s shows & movies out there that have really horrible role models for our kids in how to respect authority. Keep that in mind as you watch shows with your children. Do you want them to act like what they are seeing?
Now for the next step: keep attitudes in mind as you choose your shows this week. If they are disrespectful to men (which most of them are), why are you allowing your mind to go there & be exposed/hardened to that? Could it be that those shows are giving you some of the disrespectful attitudes toward your husband you might be battling? Maybe. Why not take a week off of all media & see. Replace that time with Scripture reading &/or Scripture music & see if your attitude changes. Ask God to open your eyes to even subtle disrespect in your media choices that you’ve allowed to creep into your home. I’ll be doing this one right along with you – let’s see what happens!
Matthew 12:34 – “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Ephesians 5:1,2 – “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 4:22,23 – “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”
Philippians 4:8 – “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”