Awareness, Part 1

This post is a part of the online book club for The Finishing School. Click the category Book Club to see posts on each chapter for additional content. 

How fitting that I get to this post at the height of our election season. Over the last week, I have read more news than probably the past year combined. It seems almost impossible to find this balance of being aware and not letting it overtake our thoughts, doesn’t it?

I’ve been thinking about something lately that I touched on in the book about awareness, but that I don’t want you to miss.

Awareness is only the first step.

The second step? Test what you hear. This is how we stay aware of the world without becoming a media zombie that just spews out everything we read or letting it sink deep in our hearts without filtering out the junk. 

1. Keep reading Scripture. The more we know about the Word, the greater your foundation and easier it is to detect things that aren’t in line with the Bible.

2. Ask God to reveal His truth to you. Awhile back, someone told me that a pastor I liked listening to was a false prophet. I responded that I didn’t think so, but that I’d definitely be in prayer about it. I did a bit of prayerful research and found a lot of clarity! I also remember when I was pregnant with Vivi reading up about vaccinations. I naively thought doing research would lead to a definitive answer. It didn’t. I eventually realized we’d have to do what we thought was right and pray that the Lord would give us an unsettled feeling if it was the wrong thing. I wholeheartedly believe that if we are pursuing the Lord and including Him in these conversations looking for His answer, He will give us a nudge.

3. We simply cannot idolize humans and follow them like we would Jesus. My sister mentioned this in a great post the other day. We have to remember that they can make mistakes just like we can. Years ago, I was crushed by news of someone I had been fan-girling/idolized. I swung in the complete opposite direction and thought everything they said was a lie. That wasn’t the answer either. 

4. I read books with more discernment now. I read knowing that I don’t have to take everything as fact. It’s funny how this shifted in my head. Earlier this year, I read a book that as I started getting into, seemed off to me. I kept reading a bit more to give it a chance, but did so cautiously. It was a small victory for me as I realized my own study of the Word helped me recognize things that weren’t Biblical. 

As you read about awareness this week, I hope this thought sticks: We can twist awareness to mean taking on every bit of information and taking it as fact. And this is what leaves us overwhelmed, fearful and basically riding the waves of what’s true and what’s not true, which seems to change on a daily basis. Create a firm foundation for your awareness and root yourself in the Word and the stories.