Pastor Chris
I don’t know about you, but I’ve found it hard recently to remain grounded in a world that is constantly bombarding us with more and more news, noise, opinion, opinion masquerading as news, and more. As I’ve been noticing my own personal challenge with this (while keeping an eye on the Cubs playoff game – another source of noise), I’ve been in fellowship with colleagues who are pointing out some of this same issue at play. One of the common themes in our discussion has been the constant stream of information that we have access to on a 24/7 basis.
While I generally think being more aware of what is going on in the world around us is a good thing, what I’ve begun to realize is that more and more, when we are left to our own devices, we’re liable to consistently seek out the same sources for our information, and usually those sources agree with our own preconceived notions of how to view the world. And because of that, we aren’t necessarily being more aware of the world around us as a whole. Instead, we are hearing one version of the world – a piece of a more complicated story. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer, shares the following observation that I believe applies: “The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” I sometimes think when we are getting our information exclusively from the same sources over and over again, it is similar to stereotyping. We are missing critical information about a much more dynamic reality that we are all a part of. Because of that, I’m wondering if we all are guilty of spending too much time listening to a small part of the story in our consumption of news media, podcasts, and maybe even our music choices.
With this pondering in mind, I’d like to challenge you to change the noise that you’re hearing every day. I don’t mean if you’re a loyal Fox News viewer you should start listening to MSNBC or vice versa. I think that might be too much of a shock for some of us. Instead, I’m going to invite you to be more present where you are when you are. Go a day or two without the constant background noise of the news on the radio or the TV that you’re not actually watching. Limit your online consumption of news (and maybe avoid Facebook). See what happens when those noises fade. What else do you hear? Do you hear an unexpected conversation in the grocery store? Do you hear what a friend you sometimes disagree with about the state of our world just a little differently because you haven’t already built a pre-formed opinion based on something you heard from a cable talking head?
Siblings in Christ, I hope you take the time to find quiet in our constant information world in order to hear things differently. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll hear the Holy Spirit whisper to you instead about opportunities to form deeper connections that bridge divisions and help to heal the broken world Christ came down to love, a world we are all blessed to abide in every day.
Pastor Chris