An Essay on Sponges

Music plays an important role in my day to day life. I constantly have music blaring in my room, on my ipod and in my car. When I exercise, I normally have earphones in. When I am mowing the lawn or pulling weeds, I'll be rockin' out. Having music playing even helps me to think and write more easily.

This tradition of listening to music was started by my parents when I was very young. We always listened to K-love in the car, and we often played Cd's while in the house. Sometimes Saturday night turned into jazz night with my mom pulling out oldie moldies like Kenny G or the Yellowjackets.

My parents have always been careful to guard the malleable minds of my sisters and I. "Garbage in, garbage out" my mom would always say. Since she knew our impressionable minds would soak up everything indiscriminately like a sponge, she previewed everything. Now, looking back, I am glad she kept my brain from hearing things that would have shocked me. Gradually, she has let me see just enough of the gross side of the world to make me disgusted.

Our brains can be compared to many things like computers or alarm clocks, but I think they share many characteristics with sponges. When I clean water up using a sponge, I can't choose to only wipe up the clear liquid and leave the foul water behind. I get everything together. Same with our minds. I can't watch a movie and come away only remembering the good parts and promptly forget the perverse or offensive parts. I will most definitely remember the bad sections, maybe even more clearly than the wholesome lines.

Our minds are impressionable even when we have grown up enough to think that we are grown up. How many times have I overheard conversations between kids my age listening to offensive music because it's what is popular at the time. And as much as no one likes to admit it, those things that we say won't effect us really stick in our minds. Garbage-like images, lyrics, and lines are remembered so easily that sometimes it scares me.

Why would anyone want to put watermelon rind, chicken bones, moldy cheese, weird-smelling ham and leftover peas into their bodies on purpose? Garbage has its place: in the garbage can.

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."