(Un)Intentional Living

Do you ever feel like sometimes your life is just a constant barrage of information that you passively take into your mind without really stopping to think about it? Yeah, me neither.

Ok, well on occasion maybe. Actually, maybe more often than I would care to admit.

Sometimes I feel like I get so caught up in the flurry of activity that has become my life that I don't take the time to process what's happening or what I'm allowing into my mind. This whole idea recently occurred to me because of something that Andrew Peterson had posted online. He said that he hated the song, "Let it Go," from the new movie Frozen. Most of you have probably either heard this song or have heard about it; regardless, you don't need to have listened to it to understand what I'm getting at in this post.

When I read that Andrew Peterson hated "Let it Go," I must admit I was a little shocked that he would use such a strong word. It surprised me a little bit, but I didn't think too much about it. I mean, everyone has different tastes in music, and I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion, right?

A day or two later, Andrew Peterson posted his reason for hating the song "Let it Go," apparently because he received so much negative feedback and questions on how he could hate such an innocent, catchy song aimed at an audience of young girls (mainly). His reason?

The main themes in the movie Frozen are about true love-- giving up your own desires in order to meet someone else's needs, the importance of family and being there for one another in a messed up world, and self-sacrifice. The song "Let it Go" has essentially the exact opposite theme. It's a song about shutting people out and living to yourself, with no rules, no regulations, only whatever floats your own selfish little boat.

When I read Andrew Peterson's short discourse on why "Let it Go" was a terrible song, I realized that I had heard it many times and never really thought about the message of the song. It was just a catchy little ditty from a sweet, family-centered movie. Wow, how did I miss that? And what else have I not been really thinking about?

This whole experience made me realize that we are so constantly inundated with entertainment media of all types that we begin to disengage our minds and let them soak everything in like an indifferent sponge. If my purpose in watching/reading/hearing/seeing different movies/books/songs/pictures is just for entertainment's sake-- a few moments of escape and unwinding at the end of the day-- then I don't take the time to truly process what I'm taking in and apply it to life. And I believe that in this cycle of passive digestion of information Satan has us right where he wants us. In a non-evaluative, unassuming, and unsuspecting coma of sorts. This is the sleepy state of Laodicean numbness. And I want out.

But how? Well, for starters... less is more. If I can begin by limiting the volume of media I'm taking in, I will out of necessity need to evaluate the quality and content of what I read/see/hear/watch so that I am consciously choosing what I ingest in my mind rather than passively accepting the stream of media that is constantly hurled at me.

What it really boils down to is living intentionally-- in all areas of our lives. And, by God's grace, I hope to begin living more intentionally starting today.