How to Combat the Negativity that Surrounds Us

I was watching a morning chat program on television as I had my morning coffee. A psychologist was asked how do you stop your children watching social media? The focus of the question was really about how you stop your children being affected by social media. The topic that had previously been discussed before this was the increase in numbers of young people with depression. The psychologist’s answer was good but what stood out to me was this: “You cannot stop them on social media, unless you take away their phones, iPad’s, and computers and then they will blame you for their ‘lives going wrong.’ But you can try and teach them to not compare themself to everyone on there. Everyone is an individual, and everyone will have an opinion. Your opinion is as valid as the next person. We All can be influencers. (Even if we only have a small number of followers.) If the negativity, the bullying, that can occur on there, comes to your world turn it off, close it down. Stop it. Otherwise, you will be affected …….”

When my children went to high-school, Bruce and I sat them down and shared with them, gave them certain knowledge about coming into contact with drugs etc. We shared about what could happen to them if they took drugs, even if only the one time. Sometimes you need to share the brutal truth so that they avoid getting hurt or injured. Now I know this does not always work, depending upon the child, but you still have to try.

In the same way we need to teach our children (start young) how to act, how to treat others, how to live in this world. As a parent, a grand-parent, a friend, we can help with this social-media beast. First, we can learn a bit about it so that we can discuss it with young people. Don’t be ignorant and think the problems will go away by themselves. We can share with our children and try and prepare them that these things – negative words, bullying – can occur and it is wrong behaviour. We can share about how to combat or stop it affecting us.

We can be aware what our children are watching, reading etc.

We can guide them – for that is our responsibility.

We can pray for them.

We can ask their guardian angel to protect them.

Teach them Philippians 4:8.

… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 4:8 NIV

I remember well my son would talk to me as I tucked him into bed and said goodnight – even when he was a 6-foot 2 teenager. He shared one night about some difficulties he was going through. I suggested getting a scripture that he liked, that helped him and to recite it out loud when he was scared, felt vulnerable etc.
Not long after as I put him to bed one night, I noticed a sheet of paper stuck to the ceiling above his bed. On it was the scripture:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

He noticed me noticing it.
He asked me not to take it down. He put it above his bed so that as he went to sleep he read it, and as he woke he read it.  It didn’t take him long until he knew it off by heart and it helped strengthen him to cope with things that cropped up in his life that he found hard to face.

I will never forget feeling like he taught me a lesson that day. To depend upon God and actually do something that assists that dependency.  – Like write out and learn a scripture that defends and strengthens us, encourages us to live like we want to live.

What can you do for yourself? For your family and friends? That can combat this negativity that lies so prevalent in our world.

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What practical things can you do to combat the negativity in your world?

Is there a scripture that you find comforting that will help you?

Where could you place the scripture in your home so that it reminds you of God being with you?