I was speaking to a group of students last month about the influence of our media choices, using Life Lessons Learned from Horses.

Whose voices are you listening to?

I shared the story of a horse show I judged –a speed event horse, so distracted in the show ring by the calls of his stable mates that he crashed into the first barrel on course!

Are the voices coming from our screens, song lyrics, celebrities and social media, steering us off-course? Or motivating us to stay on track?
Are our influencers promoting themselves or something they believe in? Do they inspire us to be part of a bigger story than our own?

I asked – what are the ideas woven into the movies, music videos, ads, and posts we consume?

Are those ideas TRUE, GOOD and BEAUTIFUL?

TRUE- Will that product really make me happy? Can one really make choices like that that and not be affected?
GOOD? Does that media message match my values? What if everyone in society lived like that? Do the voices I’m listening to describe escaping the reality of life or honestly wrestling with the hard things of life?
BEAUTIFUL? Are the ideas Creative? Artistic? Unique?

“One final thing -fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8. The Bible.