6 Media Lies That Have Affected Me

I have read many books ever since I could decode the word “cat”. I’ve seen the inside of nature stories, mysteries, historical fiction, sci-fi, biographies, and anything else interesting that wasn’t off limits. Still, within these “good books” (and some good movies too) are some lies about the world. Some of the lies have become a part of my life—something to recognize and replace with the truth; others have only recently come out in my writing as I’ve tried to craft a world and what I believe about it.

1. Adventures only happen away from home. This one has never affected me enough to make me want to go on a safari, but it has made me long for something romantic (in the true sense of the word) to happen. Something outside of dishes and algebra problems and tennis shoes. God has recently shown me how much of an adventure I really am living. I live in the beautiful setting of a nice yard and a cozy house. I have courageous comrades around me fighting the same battles, and a King who is there in my every need. I have perils enough in the shape of the dragon of pride and the giant of bitterness to conquer with His help.
2. Romance ends at the altar. I didn’t know I had fallen for this one until at age eleven I tried to write a story. In that story I tried to stretch the engagement on as long as possible. After all, in Cinderella they only “lived happily ever after” which pales in comparison to what happened before in the story. This lie disappeared quickly after I discovered that the setting has only changed from the rose garden to the kitchen; and the same love (if it is a true one) is still there and grows ever stronger. Watching my parents, my older sister and her husband, and reading real things have helped dispel this notion.
3. Orphans have the most fun. I’ve never wanted to be an orphan—I love my parents. Unfortunately, in the same story I mentioned before, I wrote an orphan just because that’s the way stories go. After all, good parents want to protect their children, so typical adventures require orphanhood or crazy parents. I’m still working on weeding this one out and trying to move my adventure stories to more of a home setting where the parents have an influence on their children’s lives. And who wouldn’t love an Irish girl who is captured and imprisoned in a cave WITH her father?
4. The first boy who smiles at you is your future husband. This one has been a really big problem, but God is teaching me that He is in charge of who my warrior-poet is; and I don’t have to worry at all about it. Phew. That makes me feel much better.
5. Acts of kindness will ultimately change hearts. I believed this one until very recently when I discovered that I can be as nice as possible and still not change anything. Love does make possible softened hearts, but it is still up to the person whether or not they will change. All the heroines in the stories save the world with a smile, and I still can’t get the shy girl at church to come out of her shell and be friends. Realizing this one took a load off, showing me that all I have to do is love and leave the rest to God. I can quit worrying that the world’s problems are my fault.
6. Character counts—just because, and besides it looks really cool. This one is really subtle (plaguing me for awhile), and I can often get confused about why I am “being good”. I believe in sanctification all right, but it is an often fought struggle for me to realize that I shouldn’t just “be good” because people will like me, but because I am called to holiness by God.

So what are some ways that media has lied to you? How have you discovered this and what are you doing about it?