When the news cycle is constantly sharing stories of our broken, divided and hurting world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Liza Hoeksma shares some thoughts on how we can keep our hearts soft, staying empathetic and engaged instead of numb or paralysed.
These days, keeping up with the news is not for the faint-hearted. Even if we only scan the headlines, we are bombarded with chaos, war, destruction, and death. Generations before us would perhaps read one paper a day or catch a short segment of evening news on the radio or TV. They had to wait to be able to access news; nothing was on demand. Instead, we can find out about almost anything happening at any place in the world in just a few clicks. We now have 24-hour news cycles, our phones constantly ping with alerts, and our podcast feeds are filled with the latest analysis of issues from around the world. It’s no wonder one in six people in the UK say they have a mental health struggle such as anxiety or depression1. God calls us to care about what is happening in the lives of others created in his image, but he also wants us to protect our hearts. So how do we keep our hearts soft when things feel so very hard?
One thing I often find myself feeling when I look at what’s going on in the world is anger; there is so much injustice that must break God’s heart. And our anger doesn’t have to be a negative thing that leads us to be callous. Surrendered to God it can become a catalyst for positive change. It might motivate us to action in our local community, perhaps donating to a foodbank that helps those who are living in poverty – something that the Trussell Trust say 12,00 churches are involved in here in the UK2. Sometimes the problems are much wider, and our anger might help us use our voice to speak up against injustices nationally and internationally. We can share news articles and stories, sign petitions, write to our politicians, and donate money to charities where we’re able. These actions may feel small when the problems are big but, as a life coach, I’m always reminded to focus on what we can control, not what we can’t. Taking action can keep us from feeling like everything is hopeless; we begin to see that we can make a difference wherever we are and whatever resources we have at our fingertips. We can be part of God’s Kingdom coming, every time we help even one person or add our voice to the throng calling for change.
One of the things that’s also important for us to control are our boundaries. We can access news about almost any part of the world at any time of the day or night but is it wise to constantly feed our brains with things that are consistently distressing? Forbes Magazine3 highlighted that, “In disaster media specifically, we know that increasing exposure to media is associated with alcohol use, tobacco use, insomnia, depression, and post traumatic symptoms.” We don’t want to look away, but we also need to know our limits and look after ourselves so we don’t get overwhelmed. Some suggest that it’s particularly important to avoid news when we’ve just woken up or when we’re about to go to sleep so as not to set a negative tone for your day or disrupt your sleep.4 When I was going through a season of deep grief I barely watched or listened to the news. There were some horrendous things going on in the world and I felt ill-informed about them, but I knew I had no more capacity for pain and suffering. As I healed, I was able to re-engage; it was just a season. We have to find ways to look after ourselves because if we end up frazzled and burnt out, that doesn’t help anyone. Sometimes it might be as simple as limiting our news intake, sometimes it might be seeking out the positive stories that are happening to help us remember that there is more love in the world than hate, more good than bad.
Of course, one of the main ways we can respond to the news is to pray. So many of the situations we hear about are far outside of our control on a large scale but, with God, anything is possible. We can pray, not just that God would move miraculously, but that he would motivate us and those who know and love him around the world to do the little bit of good that they and we can, which – all together – can make a huge difference.
One of the most helpful scriptures I hang on to when praying about things I see in the world is Ephesians 6:12: ‘Our fight is not against flesh and blood.’ When we hear about people behaving atrociously, it’s easy to focus on them as being the enemy but this verse reminds us to take a step back and pray about the spiritual forces at work. Focusing on people can cause hatred to rise in us when Jesus calls us to love our enemies. Sometimes it’s helpful to think about what the enemy is trying to do in these terrible situations (such as bring death, destruction, enslavement, disillusionment, bondage, division, or hopelessness) and then pray that God would do the opposite. That’s God’s will – to bring his kingdom, his peace, love, hope, unity, freedom, health, and wholeness to this world. When we pray like that, we know he wants to answer with a ‘yes’. There are spiritual battles going on, and we can pray and ask God to do what only he can.
And that’s the final – and most important – thing that keeps our hearts soft: bringing them before God and asking his Holy Spirit to fill us and heal us. Instead of growing a thicker skin to make our way through the world, let’s keep asking God to transform us, to make us bold, brave and open to love as deeply as he does.
- https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/mental-health-facts-and-statistics/ ↩︎
- https://www.trussell.org.uk/our-work ↩︎
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicagold/2020/06/23/how-to-stay-informed-but-protect-your-mental-health/ ↩︎
- https://renewhopeandhealing.com/setting-boundaries-around-social-media/ ↩︎
Liza Hoeksma is an author who has co-written many books on subjects including mental and emotional wellbeing, resilience, and what it looks like to have faith in times of crisis. She is also a life coach with a passion for championing and cheer-leading people as they pursue the values and goals that are important to them.
