Not every voice deserves your attention.

We consume sound all day long: conversations, music, podcasts, television, news, notifications and the running commentary of the people around us.

Eventually, some of that noise follows us into our thoughts.

Consuming Goodness means paying attention not only to what enters through our mouths and eyes, but also to what we repeatedly allow into our ears.

Turn Down the Noise

There is a difference between staying informed and surrounding yourself with noise.

If the news leaves you agitated all day, turn it off for a while. If a social feed is nothing but arguments, stop listening. If every quiet moment is filled automatically with a television, podcast or phone, try letting the room be quiet.

Silence does not always need to be filled.

Choose What You Hear

Listen to music that makes you happy. Listen to people who are wise, funny, encouraging and truthful. Listen to the birds outside. Listen to your children tell the very long version of a very short story.😆

And make room to hear your own thoughts without the whole world talking over them.

A Hearing Heart

Romans 10:17 connects faith with hearing. What we repeatedly listen to matters. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word, hearing God. But, evil also comes from hearing. Hearing negative gossip. Hearing explicit lyrics. Hearing horror films. 

That does not mean surrounding ourselves only with people who agree with us. It means becoming discerning about which voices deserve influence in our lives.

Choose to listen to your audible Bible while you're doing chores instead of songs with explicit lyrics. Choose to talk to friends who don't gossip. Choose a podcast that's uplifting instead of fear-mongering. Turn down the TV. Listen to goodness.

Good in. Good out. applies to our ears, too.

Turn down the noise. Listen for goodness.

Love yourself, as yourself. Gal. 5:14®