I have always been interested in politics, so left to myself I tend to consume way too much political media. That has been aggravated by the extraordinary things going on in recent years. That gets me agitated over things I cannot control and, more importantly, it diverts energy from the good things I can control. I have had trouble extricating myself from that on my own and have prayed for help.
God answered that prayer by reminding me of Psalm 37:1 and 3.
Verse 1 tells us to disengage from the controversy, to tune it out. It instructs us to “not fret because of those who are evil[.]” Easier said than done, right? By itself, yes, but that’s not all the psalm says.
Verse 3 gives concrete instructions on how to do that: “trust in the Lord and do good” (emphasis added). That tells us to divert our attention from the media and the chaos it amplifies by focusing on the good that each of us can do as individuals. God has given every one of us the ability to do some good, regardless of the evil around us. Those things may be large or small, exterior or interior, but they are always present. Thinking about what that could be right now will get your mind off the media. And thinking about how you can actually get that done will keep your mind off it.
I have tried this, and it works. There have been multiple times when I have been tempted to listen to the radio or a podcast, but overcame that temptation by consciously thinking about what good I can do and either doing it right then (usually prayer and usually a Divine Mercy Chaplet) or thinking about how I can accomplish the good thing I identified (usually one of these posts or something to enhance the community garden I’m involved in). That gets me past the temptation and moving towards something much better.
Am I perfect about doing this? Far from it. But it works so consistently when I actually do it that it is worth passing on. Try it and see if it works for you.
