The other day we had appetizers for dinner. I’m usually pretty consistent about making sure our meals have vegetables or fruits, protein, and healthy fats. 

But that night everything came out of a box—from taquitos to mozzarella sticks, from chicken nuggets to deep-fried cheese curds. As the “food” was served, everybody commented how it was all a shade of light brown—no rainbow of colors, no nutritional value. 

An hour later the digestive complaints started. What tasted so good left the kids sick to their stomachs. Well, my son didn’t seem to have any complaints, but my girls swore off that kind of food for quite a while.

That got me thinking about what we put into our hearts and our minds. We know what’s healthy for us, but occasionally we feed ourselves garbage. I know it isn’t good for me to spend too much time on social media or watching the news, but in the name of “being informed” or “keeping in touch,” I spend too much time watching or clicking—and then I end up worried, angry, frustrated, and (sometimes literally) sick to my stomach. I know I shouldn’t hang on to past hurts, but I let my mind stew about things I thought I had let go.

Maybe you do too. So today, maybe you want to join me in “eating healthy” and swearing off the garbage. 

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).