Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down

"the way of a fool is right in his own eyes"

Proverbs 12:15

Do you watch reality shows?  I'm not really a big fan.  I'm not sure there's a whole lot of "reality" actually going on.  I think it's impossible for someone who is being continuously filmed, to forget that they're being continuously filmed.  So I think that even though they don't have a script, they are still acting.  Being in the spotlight can cause us to act in a certain way, or pretend to be more or less than what we are.   That's not really reality.

I do love to watch cooking competition shows, though.  I love the ideas I get while watching, and I love to see the creativity of someone matching foods or flavors that didn't necessarily seem to go together.

And I do enjoy watching The Amazing Race.  The contestants on that show travel from country to country, learning a little about the food and cultures of other places as they compete in challenges and race to the next location.  It's interesting to watch teammates and competitors interact with each other, and see how it can bring out the best or the worst in someone.

And I love that I can watch Race and cooking competitions with my kids.  There's nothing suggestive in the plot, and rarely even anything negative, other than some occasional bad sportsmanship.

And part of the problem with reality shows, I think, is that not only are the contestants influenced by the fact that there's a camera on them constantly, they are influenced by the other contestants.   People do things they wouldn't normally do when they are in an unfamiliar situation, with people they didn't know before, with prize money on the line.  Just recently we saw two teams conspire to steal money from another team.  One contestant protested weakly, but then gave in.  He just didn't have the moral strength to stand up to his partner, and two relative strangers.  

Have you seen the movie Chariots of Fire?  Do you know the story of British Olympic runner Eric Liddell, who refused to compete on a Sunday?   Teammates and friends tried to convince him to change his mind.  And there's a scene where he was called to meet with the Prince of Wales; the heir to the throne, who pressured him to put his country, and his king, above his God. 

How's that for peer pressure?  That's not even a peer!  That's worse than a peer!  The heir to the throne, trying to convince Liddell that what he believed was wrong.  But he stood strong. 

What do you believe?  And why do you believe what you believe?  And what are you going to do when someone questions what you believe? 

It's easy to be ruled by our emotions.  I think the only thing stronger than pressure from our peers, is pressure from our own hearts!  Feelings are strong, but sometimes unreliable.  It's one of the reasons I love reading and studying the Bible.  Then, when I have a difficult decision to make, I have God's words to turn to, to help me. 

Whether it's peer pressure, or me pressure, if He's my motivation, then He'll be my strength.

~ "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures,

    nor the power of God" ~

Matthew 22:29

~