Many things demand our attention daily. And many other things don’t insist per se, but still require our intentional focus. Either way, we must be mindful of what we feed our souls to cultivate the good life God has for us.
For instance, negativity is seductive, and it’s very easy to feed our souls on a constant diet of everything that is not as it should be. In time, this shapes our worldview and heart attitudes – assuming there’s no true good we live a life of bitterness, suspicion, and resignation.
Of course, this life is filled with much heartache and pain, but this doesn’t mean we should allow this to become our only diet. Profound goodness and beauty are also present, but these are meals we must often create the space to receive. And feasting on the things worthy of praise allows our hearts and souls to be shaped in this direction. We’ve trained our eyes to look for and to see God’s goodness even in difficult situations.
And this is how we can live with hope even during dark days. We’re more prone to despair when we simply consume darkness and assume the worst in every situation. However, hope reigns as we feed on the light and live with great expectations of the good God is capable of providing.
Initially, our external circumstances might be the same, but we experience more freedom and joy when we think about things that bring goodness and life. And we’re also in a better position to shift our circumstances to align with the goodness of God’s kingdom when we focus our diet on his truth.
In the end, what you feed grows. Let your soul be nourished by God’s beauty and goodness rather than the darkness and suffering of this world.
Photo by Frida Lannerström on Unsplash
