war·mon·ger

noun \ˈwȯr-ˌməŋ-gər, -ˌmäŋ-\

Definition of WARMONGER

: one who urges or attempts to stir up war

 

 Anyone ever know one of those kids in school who was a warmonger? You know, the kind that was always trying to stir up trouble; kids who liked watching other kids fight. As grown-ups we should see the ridiculousness of pot-stirring, but sometimes I’m not so sure we do.

 

Take, for example, the evening news. I, for one, used to be a news junkie. Faithfully watching the 5:00, 5:30, and 6:00 evening news was like a ritual for me. But the more I watched, the more frustrated I became. Because, it seemed that what was news almost always focused on the negative. After a while, I began to wonder; did they relish stirring up a big old batch of negativity, making everyone who watched feel a little more afraid, insecure, and pessimistic about the world we live in?

 

A prime example for me was 9/11. Remember how nearly every news station replayed the image of that jet crashing into one of the two towers? Over and over again, this haunting vision of destruction and despair was burned into our hearts and minds.  It was enough to make me sick to my stomach.

 

Maybe, we’re partly to blame. After all, it’s human nature to focus on all that went wrong in a day rather than the million little things that went right. Negativity can lock us up in a cage of fear. Maybe that’s why the news-media is so successful; they know how to feed off our fears.

 

My kids and I have talked often about the importance of focusing on the good and not the evil in this world. Thinking good thoughts. Not bad. Still, it’s not easy. Scary thoughts and dreams still have a way of worming their way into my children’s hearts and minds. So, lately my daughter has been praying a simple prayer before bedtime, “God help me to think good thoughts tonight and not bad. Help me to have good dreams and not bad.”

 

After a week or so of listening to my daughter’s prayer, I had a “light bulb moment.” Many of the shows we were letting them watch had so much negativity. Could this be the root of many of their fears? The more I pondered this, the more it seemed to make sense. So, my husband and I agreed to limit what our kids watch. An answer to a five-year-old’s prayer, I think.

 

And maybe the same is true for us. Remember the saying, ‘Garbage in. Garbage out.’ I don’t think that applies just to children. If you find you’re sitting in your own pot of negativity and struggling to get out, turn off the television and pray the simple prayer of a child:

 

‘God help me to think good thoughts and not bad. Help me to have good dreams and not bad.’

 

Pretty wise stuff for a five-year-old.

 

Philippians 4:8    ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.