Bevism #2 News You Can’t Use: What Good is Information You Can’t Do Anything With?

MSNBC runs a political roundup show each morning called Morning Joe. I became quite acquainted with the show during the last presidential election. There is a segment at the end of each broadcast called “News You Can’t Use”. This involves a litany of stories that really have nothing to do with politics, society, or anything they deem relevant to the life of the public at large. Celebrity shenanigans, major company blunders, political spoofs- just about anything that really matters to no one. This segment reminds me of my mother’s trusty saying when we blabber on about senseless things. She simply states, “What good is information you can’t do anything with?”

“But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer.” 2 Timothy 2:16-17a NKJV

You know, there is just nothing like your first love. I enjoy reciting the many lessons shared during my first real relationship. You see, we hit it off from the moment we met. Not long after, we were dating. We didn’t attend the same high school, and to this day little things are revealed through friends and acquaintances regarding his “other life” there. Nevertheless, as the story goes, we were on the phone late one evening, and out of what had to be sheer fatigue he called me another girl’s name. Well, needless to say I was up after that! Of course this lead to his discourse of “she’s just a friend”, but even I knew at age 15 you don’t just say another girl’s name unless she means something to you, or you mean something to her. I demanded that he call her on the almighty 3-Way, so we could settle this matter once and for all. Like a cool guy, he did.

Well, almost as soon as we got on the phone I began to regret this arrangement. She was loud, high-strung, and determined to set me straight on this particular fall night. She let me know under no certain terms she cared for him. He belonged to her. The conversation was foolish in her eyes, for she wanted me to understand she would have him, and that was the way it was going to be. She never admitted to dating him or that he had any reciprocal feeling towards her. Neither did he. She just gave me a good “woman-to-woman” run down, and I had no choice but to take it. My only response was, “Okay. If he decides to be with you, there is nothing I can do. I don’t fight over boys. If he wants you, you can have him.” And that was it for me… I went to bed.

Lesson Learned: At the end of being cussed, fussed, told and harangued, I felt there was really nothing I could use from this conversation. Yes he called me her name, but we seemed to just move on after that. Even then, I knew we were just kids. I wasn’t going to let some loud mouth keep me away from the cutest, smartest football player I had the pleasure of dating. In the end, I am so glad I didn’t. We had so much fun together. He became great buddies with my girls and I got to know his friends very well. We had great dates, great laughs, and two years of high school sweet heart bliss. It inevitably ended in heartbreak with yours truly on the receiving in. Although this is true, even in retrospect, it still felt good trusting until I could no longer trust. How awesome it was to enjoy a great friendship as long as it was meant to last.

We often allow news we can’t use to spread like cancer in our lives. Just an idle word, a single thought often changes the course of our lives. Why? Most of the things people tell us is simply information we can do nothing with. It puts no food on our table, no clothes on our backs; it does not raise our children and certainly does not edify our relationships. However, when we take in the useless, it spreads like a useless disease. Cancer can kill in every form, and there are those that just never go into remission. Maybe your cancer is a broken heart, joblessness or a bad habit. Whatever it is, shun the profanity out of your mouth and out of your life. With God as the head of your life, nothing is too hard for you! No one has the right to take something away God gave to you, because what God has for you is for you! Remember, entertainment to some can be humiliation for others. My prayer is that you live above the temptation of loose-lipness. It serves you better to know the difference between what is reusable and what is disposable.

Peace & Blessings,

Caarne White