When Culture Gets You Down

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For various reasons, I found myself a bit discouraged the other day.  Making matters worse, the ugliness of the war in Ukraine and the politics of this election cycle, in particular, disheartened me. More and more people tell me they just don't watch the news anymore.  Never mind whether you feel it is biased, the content in its own right is enough to drag you down.

Honestly, I don't know what I would do without scripture.  Any time I spend in God's Word lifts me up.  If the current temperature of our culture is what we cling to, if it is the barometer that sets our state of mind, or if it drives us--even subliminally--forward, we are clinging to the wrong thing.

As an experiment, notice throughout the day the variety of messages or information that cross your path. How are you affected by what you see and hear?  How much are you freely subjecting yourself to, by choice? 

Then, see what happens when you intentionally bring thoughts about God, creation, or the bigger mysteries of life into the equation.  Allow yourself moments to ponder. What happens when you add this into the mix?  How often do you allow yourself to be touched by God, by choice?

When God enters the picture, you open yourself to the possibility of diminishing discouragement. As your faith grows, often so does your peace.  Anxiety can increase with fear and the unknown--which we get a lot of in our culture--but it can decrease as God comes more sharply into focus.

If you are having a time of discouragement, look evermore closely toward God.  Faith in God is such a grace.  It changes everything.  It just makes sense that we come to know God better, if he is the one in whom we put our faith. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC158)

Why would you put your faith in one whom you do not know?

God is the one constant we have.  We might even think of him in this crazy world as the great stabilizer. He created all things.  He is the giver of life.  He is love, he is good, he is eternal.  He's got our back.  

But, if you reject all that--all that is true--what is there left to believe in?

Let's find our way back to God, both personally and as a culture.  It will do all of us a lot of good.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.com

#faith
#lost
#God

Here we go, an interesting video on Proposal 3.  Remember, I won't post propaganda.  Click HERE.

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