Wise or Sheltered?

The older I get (and I’m not that old) I seem to weed out the unnecessary things in my life. I realize that my time is precious and I don’t want to waste a minute on something I do not value. My question now becomes, is this a wise choice or a sheltered one?

I started reading Eat, Pray, Love. By page 12 I have stopped to consider my thoughts on whether I would like to continue. Red flag #1- the author discusses her Guru and the importance of their wisdom in her life. (In the religious sense the term is commonly used in Hinduism and Sikhism, as well as in other Indian religions and new religious movements.) This makes me stop and wonder about the foundation of the book. Hmmm… Red flag #2- The author writes on page 12 “there are always two figures in a marriage, after all – two votes, two opinions, two conflicting sets of decisions, desires and limitations.” Wow! This is not a belief I hold to. Not even a little bit. So much so that it stopped me in my tracks and I thought… be careful little eyes what you read… be careful little eyes what you read… Are these the seeds I want planted in my mind?

As I raise my children I teach them to guard what they surround themselves with. I don’t want my kiddos watching a television show with words that tear down and destroy or are vulgar so that they themselves don’t speak that way. I try to teach them that if you surround yourself with positive, happy people you will become a positive happy person. If you surround yourself with grumpy, trouble makers you will become a grumpy trouble maker. It’s the same theory as you are what you eat.

It is hard enough for me to trudge through the world’s view of who I am or what I should be. Do I want to add a layer of what this chick did and how it was so great for her when we don’t share the same foundation? Am I suppose to just chill out and get off my Jesus pedestal and just enjoy the book or should I stand tall and say I can’t grasp this ladies outlook and that’s enough for me to stop reading? Is it sheltered of me to take the stand of we’re not on the same page in life and I’m not all that interested in investing my time? OR is it a wise choice to be able to stand up and say my time is valuable. I choose to use it differently. If it was a different book with all sorts of profanity and drunkenness would the world see it acceptable for me to not be interested? Is it simply because this is a faith based decision? Hmmm…

Hmmmm....

I am not sure if I will continue to read this book or not. The verdict is not out yet, but I sure am curious about where my heart stands on this issue. Right now, I am at a stand still just wondering… hmmm… do I want to fill my mind with stuff I know I am about to throw out and how is it different from when I read fictional stories? Who knows, maybe by the end of the book it will show an epiphany of the Lord Himself.  (Although if this were the case would she be thanking her Guru?)