For the last few weeks, I’ve embarked on a new workout plan that is pretty intense. Some days, I find myself struggling to keep my energy up to get through the whole workout.

My solution?
Loud, upbeat music in my earbuds from Pandora.

The problem?
Every pre-made workout station that I have found is filled with terribly explicit, sexual and/or violent lyrics.
Even the playlists put together by large corporate brands are full of terrible lyrics.

I love that we live in such a media rich age, but it is becoming increasingly more difficult to choose what entertains us without running into images and lyrics that we really don’t need to see.

I know many Christians that would say, “It’s not that big of a deal” or “Don’t be naive”.
Jesus, however, describes the problem of exposing ourselves to things that are not healthy…and it is not good!

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! – Matthew 6:22–23 (ESV)

What we see and listen to will eventually begin to color our souls.
When we expose ourselves to positive, God honoring things, we are full of light, free to grow as God intended us.
When we expose ourselves to negative things of the world, it creates darkness in us…darkness you (and those around you) will eventually feel.

This is one of the key reasons that we monitor what our kids are allowed to watch and listen to. They are not yet aware of the consequences of filling their minds with unhealthy stuff.

If you read studies about the content of current TV and movies, you will find that Hollywood is infatuated with sex. The number of occurrences of rape and violent crimes against women, especially, are growing in number. Nudity is a staple on almost every cable TV series and music that demeans and degrades both men and women are littering radio stations everywhere.

As followers of Jesus, we have to be cautious about what we expose ourselves to.
If I listen to these Pandora channels because they help me have a good workout, I am poisoning my own heart in the process.
If we watch movies that glorify sex outside of marriage or violent crimes against women, it will eventually change the way I view fidelity and how women should be treated.
If my favorite TV series are ultra-violent, it is only a matter of time before I become overtly aggressive and combative when irritated.

As parents, it is crucial that we protect our children’s childhood from as much as we can while teaching them that these things do exist. Children don’t need to be watching rated “R” movies (and a whole bunch of PG-13, too).
Children don’t need to have music on their phones marked “explicit”.
Just because a movie is critically acclaimed or is an excellent adaption of a popular novel, it doesn’t necessarily need to be seen, especially if it is full of images that don’t honor Christ.

And, just to be clear, if our children don’t need to see or hear it, neither do we.

What we take in will color our souls.
Therefore, I am finding new ways of enjoying music during my workouts that don’t make me feel dirty and like a hypocrite.

As a follower of Jesus, it is important that we honor God with what we see and what we hear.
Be careful little eyes what you see.

Mark Love
Lead Pastor