Garbage in. Garbage out. So often we hear this expression used in reference to computers. But have you ever stopped to think it might also apply to humans? Whatever we ingest is sure to come back out with predictable consequences. Shouldn’t we take as much care to watch what we put into our bodies as we do our devices?
Some time ago, I had a conversation with my son on this very topic concerning his food choices. He was in the middle of his Army helicopter training and complained of fatigue. Because of his grueling schedule, he tended to ingest whatever was quick rather than nutritious. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what foods were best for him. He basically had no time to prepare them. No wonder he lacked the energy he needed.
As I tried to help him with a strategy to keep nutritious foods readily available, he couldn’t visualize how this was possible. In order to convince him, I used a simple analogy. I asked him whether he would feel safe flying in a helicopter if he knew it was filled with bad fuel. Of course not. Then how could he ever expect to work at peak performance if he filled himself with garbage?
He embraced this lesson long ago. Now he’s a great cook of healthy meals that make his doctor mom proud. But my helicopter analogy doesn’t only apply to food. What a person allows in their mind is just as important as what they put in their stomach. Ingesting toxic information pollutes the brain and eats away at our soul.
We open ourselves to a barrage of unhealthy messages every time we scroll through social media. Yes, there are also many uplifting messages. However, most of the time the bad greatly out numbers the good. The national news cycle is the same. Natural disasters and political debacles are fed to listeners as a steady diet. No wonder so many in our society feel down and depressed. We have no chance of a joyful existence given these circumstances.
When was the last time you chose to turn it all off? What if you took a break from your phone and the news for your own sanity? None of us were meant to ingest this much information. We can’t handle it. Turn it off. Let it go, even if only for a short while.
Instead of consuming this diet of constant negativity, chose an alternative meal plan. Try reading a good book (preferably fiction) then take a walk in the woods with no phones allowed. Learn something new like oil painting or horseback riding. Whatever you choose, make it a healthy pastime designed to nourish your soul.
If you continue to load garbage in, then don’t be surprised when all you get is garbage out. It’s like poison for the soul. No one can live this way for long. Pretty soon you’ll sputter and crash like the proverbial helicopter with bad fuel. The world has always been and always will be full of negativity if you let yourself get sucked into it. Don’t let this happen to you. Choose wisely and live well.
Don’t live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed. Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will agree that what He wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 NIRV
