1 June | Youth
«I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.» Psalm 101:3
Every day our eyes are invaded by millions of pixels that hyper stimulate our mind with all kinds of colors and shapes. Every two minutes, humanity takes more photos than all the clicks taken in the 19 century. Billboards, magazines, websites, banners... all these devices serve as a platform to sharpen the imagination of a society that discovered long ago that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
Of all the five senses, vision is the most valued. We are “completely blind” by what we see. If we had to choose one of the senses to lose, vision would certainly be the last option. We like to “see to buy,” “see to accept,” and even “see to believe.”
The media knows this and does everything it can to trap us in the charms of beauty and emotion. In this image dictatorship, Brazilians spend, on average, nine hours a day connected to the screen. They are the second country in the world ranking of internet use, only behind the Philippines.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated that the eyes are the lamp of the body. They are the main windows of the soul that feed the mind and heart. “If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light” (Matt. 6:22), said Jesus. What types of images have you been seeing? Is your body in darkness or is it illuminated by the things you have contemplated?
Ellen White wrote: “It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature that by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence” (Mind, Character, and Personality, v. 1, p. 331).
Throughout this day, do not allow your eyes to behold evil things. Put filters on the internet and in your mind. Immoral, indecent, violent scenes that mock God should not cross your corneas. If news appears with the words “graphic images,” be strong enough not to see it. Remember that the mind has no drain. Everything you put there will remain.
Choose today to see things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, of good report, and worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8). They will shape your character and illuminate your life.