Newspaper or Scriptures?

The Beaumont Enterprise is a big part of my daily reading. In fact, my children laugh at me because I don't like it when someone gets to the paper before I do. To find a freshly new, unread newspaper makes my morning. The sad economic times we live in are proven by the shrinking size of my paper and the increasing price of my subscription. But, I like to keep up with what is going on in the world without having to look at the atrocities on the news or have to listen to the "Hollywood" performance of the news reporters as they report at 6 and 10.

While reading my scriptures this morning, I came to the realization that the newspaper does not offer very important advice each day. Dear Abby, who speaks to us from the dead, has no place in my life. Those that write for the newspapers can take a miniscule bit of information and turn it into a larger than life problem that I have no interest in reading. I find myself reading the titles of each article and then turning the page.

Contrast this to daily scripture reading. The subtitles for each chapter are intriguing and make us yearn for the information that is encompassed in that chapter. There may be wars, murders, adultery, disobedience; but, these subjects are there for our benefit to teach us what is right and what is wrong. The media tackles these subjects in a ridiculously blown out of proportion reporting hoping to gain our attention just for the sake of entertainment and possibly an award for their writing. I also find myself disinterested in the anti-morality syndrome in this world that does nothing but upset me.

This morning while reading in Titus Chapter 2, my mind was enlightened to the truths of the gospel and the way these truths benefit our lives. In my daily newspaper, I see articles written about women who have no moral values and are a far cry from being an example for our young women. The ads for the stores in our area are full of immodest clothing trying to drag in our young women so they can be "in style". Yet, we know that immodesty and immorality are not what should be "in style" in our lives.

Paul had this to say in Tutus Chapter 2:

"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."

How is that for journalism. It far surpasses anything we can read in the newspapers, magazines; and it far surpasses all the garbage we can see on the news each night.

I pray that I can be the kind of "aged" woman Paul talks about; that I can teach the "young women" (namely my daughters, granddaughters and yes, my daughters-in-law, too who are my daughters) by example the things that the scriptures teach us.

Just a thought--I wonder how many of us would be more likely to read the scriptures each day if they were rolled up in a yellow plastic bag each morning and were laying in the driveway ready for us to unwrap them. As for me and my house, we like the ones we have, bound in leather and sitting on the table waiting for me each morning.