Protect Joy In A Doom-and-gloom News Cycle

After 30 minutes of doomscrolling, watching cable news, or catching up on the latest headlines, how many of us walk away with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Anyone?

The fruit of the Spirit is the fundamental hallmark of a transformed life with Christ. But when we consume news haphazardly, we often spiral into distinctly joyless, impatient, ungentle, and not peaceful modes of doom and gloom. We can even justify our anger and anxiety in the name of being clear-eyed about our culture’s not-so-great trajectory. Worse, we can judge others who aren’t as “in the know” as we are, assuming their relative peace in the face of troubling news is a sign of apathy or lacking compassion.

Our news habits are toxic. The world trains us in patterns that are deadly for our souls. Constant attention to partisan, tragic, inflammatory headlines leaves us divided, angry, and anxious. These news patterns can lock us into a cycle that’s out of sync with the good news of Jesus.

Constant attention to partisan, tragic, inflammatory headlines leaves us divided, angry, and anxious.

We’ve died and been raised with Christ, set free from the “old self” to walk in “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4–6). But how can we walk in that freedom when we’re constantly bombarded by stressful headlines? How can we protect our hearts from toxic news-consumption patterns and retain the joy of the Lord?

1. Set boundaries.

If we’re not intentional about how we consume the news, the news will consume us. It’ll find us at all hours of the day, insisting on our attention with its urgency. We’ll be dragged into fear and frustration before we’ve even stopped to consider whether a headline is worth our time.

Set boundaries so your attention isn’t captured by the frantic fray. Here are a few suggestions:

• Don’t get your news from partisans. Partisan news sources form us into loyalists for tribes rather than ambassadors for Christ.
• Don’t get your news from social media. Opinions from dubious sources and vitriol-filled comment sections are rarely thoughtful and helpful.
• Don’t spend more time in the news than you do in the Word. Technology makes it easy to binge news all day, every day. But we’re better off designating short periods (5 to 15 minutes) to consume news intentionally, ensuring the Lord’s voice is more prominent than the perspectives of reporters and commentators.
• Choose a brief, nonpartisan news roundup that gives you a broad understanding of what’s going on—just enough to allow you to know what’s on your neighbors’ minds, pray effectively, and respond as needed.

2. Pray and give thanks.

Peace (or any other spiritual fruit) isn’t our default. It’s hard-won by continually putting worldliness to death and walking by the Spirit instead.

Paul describes the habits of the one who’s protected and defended by supernatural, incomprehensible peace:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. . . . Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:4–7)

Before we consume the news, as we consume the news, and after we consume the news, we’re called into prayer and thanksgiving. Nothing soothes the sting of anxiety like bringing the needs of our world and our communities to a caring, sovereign Father. Nothing roots out bitterness and anger like giving thanks for God’s unchanging character in an ever-changing world. In prayer and thanksgiving, we admit that every person and storyline in the headlines is in the Lord’s hands and that we’re utterly dependent on him.

3. Give or serve where you can.

As we consume the news, one thief of peace is a sense of helplessness. The headlines present us with an endless string of needs: wars and violence and displaced peoples across the world, joblessness at home, economic turmoil, concerning cultural trends, natural disasters, and tragedy after tragedy. We can’t bear the weight of it all.

We can’t do everything. But we can pray and give thanks and then do something.

In prayer and thanksgiving, we admit that every person and storyline in the headlines is in the hands of the Lord and that we’re utterly dependent on him.

Jesus was constantly followed by crowds with endless needs. But his response wasn’t frantic. He set his boundaries: Go to the lost sheep of Israel. He prioritized prayer, frequently withdrawing to be with the Lord. And he knew his mission: to seek and to save the lost. Every sermon, conversation, and healing was guided by that mission.

What’s your mission? What’s that need the Lord has put on your heart? You can’t respond to every headline, but you can give your best to a cause that aligns with your mission and then pray for the rest, leaving it in God’s hands.

Spiritual Diet

Virtues like peace, joy, and gentleness in the face of chaotic headlines will not come from consuming more and more information, aiming to be fully caught up on the cycle. They’ll come from recalibrating our news diets to align with the good news of Jesus.

This means cutting out what’s bad for you—manipulative, partisan, endless news—and replacing it with a leaner option. It means adopting a posture of grateful dependence on God rather than anxious rumination about the world’s many problems. And it means responding with faith and intentional action rather than helpless resignation.

May the Lord form you to be spiritually fit for his kingdom, filled with joy and hope as you consume the news of your temporary home.