Have you noticed how many people are not paying attention to what they’re paying attention to? Ever notice that? Let me say it a little differently. People are not thinking about what they’re thinking about. Still, sound strange? Maybe this will help. When I was growing up, adults would always rag on our music. You’re probably familiar with this if you’re over 30. They would say, “That’s awful,” and, “Did you hear what they just sang in there? The lyrics?!” And what was the typical teenage response? “Oh, I don’t listen to the words. I just like the music,” or, “I’m not into the lyrics, I just liked the vibe.”
The problem, of course, is that it doesn’t really matter if we aren’t really getting into the words because the words are definitely getting into us. So much so that today’s most popular songs by far have lyrics that are so violent, degrading—mostly to women—that they would have been labeled obscene and offensive just a dozen years ago. Songs like “Wap” by Cardi B (she’s one of the greatest offenders), Mia Khalifa’s “iLOVEFRiDAY,” and “Hungry Hippo” by Tiera Whack, all of which have lyrics I can’t even share with you right now because they’re that bad. And today, the words our parents said 30 years ago are coming back to haunt everybody. But not just as young people listen to far worse lyrics today, but because they make up obscene dance moves to them as well on TikTok, while continuing to say—as we did—I don’t really pay attention to the lyrics, or I’m just focusing on learning these dance moves to this cool video, not the words.
Let me say it another way. “I don’t really pay attention to what I’m paying attention to,” or “I’m not focused on the words.” Let me assure you, the lyricist, the artists, the rappers, the gang members, and the drug dealers—and I’m not being over the top with this—they are laser-focused on you, their audience. Perhaps you should be more aware of what it is they’re actually trying to do.
Are You Paying Attention to What You’re Paying Attention To?
The Bible tells us to focus, focus, focus, focus. The principle is you have to pay attention to what you’re paying attention to. It’s not a riddle. It’s a fact of life that helps anchor your life.
When King David, written about extensively in the Old Testament, saw the beautiful Bathsheba bathing on the roof, he could have taken different steps. He could have put up a wall to shield her and protect himself from seeing her (knowing that women back then bathed on the roof). He could have put a filter on his computer, to say it in modern-day terms. He could have stopped going to that section of the palace roof. He could have gone back inside to have a nice Bible study, just loving God. He could have gathered some of his mighty men up who knew him very well and asked them to hold him accountable. But instead, he kept steering toward what he was staring at, and during that time of staring, new intentions developed in his heart. He walked straight off the edge of the cliff.
So, David sent a messenger to find out who this beautiful Miss Israel contestant was. He was told that her name was Bathsheba, but that she was married, her father’s well known (you know this guy is very influential), and her husband, Uriah, was one of David’s former mighty met—one of his closest friends. What?! Yeah, Uriah was one of his best friends from long ago whom he’d lost touch with. David very much knew this guy, yet he didn’t let these facts deter him as we’d like to think they would have. No, he kept staring. Indeed his actions were wrong in every way.
So, what happened? Well, David was blinded by his kryptonite. He wasn’t concerned about anybody except him.
And that’s the place where we usually make our greatest mistakes—that’s certainly where David did—when we’re worn out, empty, wanting, trying to fill a void. David didn’t plan on ruining his life, jeopardizing his career as king, or ruining his country. He just wanted a little time in the company of a beautiful woman. Innocent, right. Wrong.
See therein lies the problem. Failing to plan is planning to fail. With culture so intent upon steering us away from Jesus and the beauty and truth of the Gospel message and toward a lifetime of self-worship and an eternity of separation away from God, what can we even do?
Well, this entire dilemma is why I wrote Overliked: Finding Direction, Courage, and Meaningful Relationships in a Society Crippled by Social Media. In it, I not only expose the problem for you to plainly see but also provide some very simple steps that any one of us can take today to break the stranglehold of self-focus and God-shunning that are so pervasive in our culture today. So, flip the script so that the Lord is central to every aspect of our lives, and we can live out His wonderful plan for us. You can grab your copy today from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favorite bookseller.
Until next Thursday, pay attention, and stay focused on Jesus!
~Pastor Rob
Aka P-Ro