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You Are What You Eat (or in this case See) ~ Madalyn Dillard

     We all know the saying, "You are what you eat." This saying is used in commercials to convince parents to feed their children better, but why are not we using this to keep us away from other unhealthy things. 

    In Confessions written by St. Augustine, Augustine writes in Book VI, "He reveled in the wickedness of the fighting and was drunk with the fascination of bloodshed." In this instance, Augustine talks about a man, Alypius, who did not like the idea of the arena (gladiators, death, etc.), but as soon as he saw the excitement that the games had, he did not care for the morality of the situation he was in. This story can easily be tied to a kid in a candy store. 

    Once a kid gets a taste of sugary sweetness, they are hook-line-and-sinker for the sweet treats. Of course, everyone knows that kids can get sick if they eat too much candy, but kids do not care. They become "drunk" like Alypius in Augustine's story. As people, why do we not stress the importance of what we watch? Back in the beginning era of television, women were not allowed to show their belly-buttons. Even in today's society, some countries have banned scenes from famous American movies for the sake of morality. 

    Another saying that is good to use in the instance was also said in Abigal Bell's blog which is, "...the eyes are the windows to the soul...." Even with this well-known quote, people just do not care what they put into their souls as much as what they put into their stomachs. Is it because we have become desensitized? I know I am guilty of being desensitized. Even if someone defends themselves by saying, "It is okay if I am desensitized; because everyone is." Well, it is still not okay. 

    Romans 12:2 states, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Back to Alypius, he thought that the arena would not have an effect on his soul, but he was wrong. He tried to test himself but failed. We fall short every day; because, we are human. With God's help, we can overcome becoming "drunk" on games, movies, or even candy, and instead, we can become filled with the Holy Spirit. 

I commented on Jamie Peters and Abigale Bell's posts. 

Comments

  1. Brooke HutchesonFebruary 1, 2021 at 7:33 PM

    We can so easily become caught up in the everyday struggle of becoming like the world, but as Christians, that is not what we are called to be. We are to be set apart and live a shining light for God. We need to always be questioning our morals, because we may never realize how sinful we can be. If we never question our morals, then our filter for what is right and what is wrong begins to meld together.

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  2. Jamie PetersFebruary 1, 2021 at 9:08 PM

    I completely agree that as humans, it is incredibly difficult to abstain from the pleasures of this world. Desensitization is such a deep-seated problem in today's world, especially when pursuing a relationship with God. We are blind to the dangers of the things we "love", especially when we are vulnerable after repenting from our sins.

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  3. Haylee LyndFebruary 1, 2021 at 11:35 PM

    There is a constant battle between flesh and spirit. Paul speaks on this in Romans 7: 15-19. In verse 18, he says, "For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it." It's extremely difficult to separate ourselves from the world because our flesh is still within us.

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