Watching before the news

For many today, keeping abreast of current affairs means “doomscrolling”—exercising the digitally enhanced ability to consume a constant stream of sensationalized or bad news. At the other end of the spectrum is “news avoidance,” ceasing to consume news at all for the sake of one’s mental well-being. 

But there’s a standpoint from which we can actively engage with the news with God-grounded hope. We can take to heart the good news shared by Jesus—that there’s an actual kingdom of good to behold, one that the material senses can’t see but that a spiritual sense within us all is fully capable of discerning. Every glimpse of this all-harmonious kingdom lifts us above either pessimism or optimism to trust the impact of God’s influence. 

Such a steady trust in God isn’t blind faith in an occasionally interventionist creator. It’s “fact-checking” against Christ, the true idea of God, all that we take in. As infinitely powerful and all-loving Spirit, God creates, sustains, and knows us as His spiritual offspring. We can feel the assurance of this when barraged by reports of problems near and far.