What You See Is…

I was visiting with some young friends recently and we discussed the place that “desire” has in decision making. Does having a desire for something legitimize getting that thing or engaging in that activity?

Then one of the kids said this, “Of course, you only desire the things that you see.”

Profound. Not necessarily original, but profound none the less. Indeed, what you see (and hear) is what you want.

We would not know to desire something unless we first saw it or heard about it. Sure, there are some innate desires, the Bible tells us that God put eternity in our heart, but much of the desire we have within is driven or occasioned by stimuli from without.

It was only after I saw a Pontiac Solstice and heard advertisements about them that I desired one. The more I saw them on the road, the more I desired one. Now that they have been long since discontinued and are seldom to be seen, they almost never cross my mind or ping my desire.

So, what are the things that you are looking at or listening to and how are they driving your desires? Do you choose wisely? Do you choose foolishly? What you see (and hear) is what you want.

Two specific areas need attention. There are tons of sexual images across our culture. There are also tons of violent images across our culture. We are bombarded with messages about sex and violence. How are all those images impacting our desires. Are we becoming better people? Are we becoming worse? Do we begin to desire things that we would never have desired if we guarded our senses, especially our eyes and ears, more carefully?

We should take to heart Jesus’ word, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23

Then there is this. Do we desire the things of God? How can we unless the “things of God” come into our  eyes and ears? More to the point, when we train our eyes and ears on the Word of God, God himself, our Creator, trains us and our desires. Reading and hearing God’s word will shape our desires to want Godly, which is at the heart of “goodly”, things. We will not be able to sort through which desires are to be acted upon and which desires are not to be acted upon unless we are under the influence of the Word of God.

All desires are not equal. Some lead to trouble for us and others. Some lead to good for us and others.

Ultimately, what you see (and hear) is what you want. The question isn’t so much is it right to let your decisions be driven by your desires, but rather what are you doing to desire the things of God that will bring good not trouble into your life. Which desires will you follow?

The Psalmist says well, “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.” Psalm 101:3. Maybe even better we see, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

NOTE FOR PARENTS: Think about how you can make sure that you are training your children to desire well and wisely. God looks to you to train and shape them. Remember, what they see (and hear) is what they’ll want.