has the world changed you?

We are influenced by the people around us, there's no doubt about that. 

So I was thinking about this last night, about how the world has influenced me. Even though I am not letting the world influence huge choices in my life and the way I conduct myself, I have to say that some of the patterns of thinking have crept their way into my life. We will always deal with sin, but sometimes we don't realize how much the people around us, the media, etc. change our mindset about things. 

• Have you become immune to complaining about tests, homework, etc?
• Do you tend to go with the flow? 
• Do you judge people based merely on appearances or what you've heard from people? 
• Are you less willing to be friendly and kind to random strangers?
• Have any of your ideals changed from when you were a kid because of society's "norm" that you've started to accept? 
• Do you tend to spend more time on your phone now, because that's what all of the teens do...instead of spending a few more minutes in God's word? 
• Do you become more "outgoing" just to gain attention, not because that is who you really are?
• Are you more sarcastic than you are kind? 

These are literally questions I'm asking myself right now, and it kinda convicts me. 

I complain about tests, homework and have become accustomed to thinking about what is wrong with the day, instead of what I am blessed with. 

I have become more willing to just do whatever everyone else is doing, instead of what I really truly want to do (in certain cases it's the same thing). I'm not super confident in who I am anymore, and I do worry about other people think. I think it's gonna continue to be a process in my life. 

I tend to be quicker to judge, and that is an influence of the world. I have to step back and remember: 

"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults--- unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on you neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt?" (Matthew 7:1-4)

I should spend more time in God's word than I do, and I often spend so much wasting it on pointless things. The culture's priorities should not be the same as ours, so this is something I need to work on. 

I have become SO sarcastic at moments, and I wish I was not that way. I want to become a more loving person, the loving person that I really am most of the times in my heart. But sometimes the first thing that comes to my mind is what I speak, especially for those I feel comfortable around. Even though sarcasm isn't always a bad thing, I want to focus on spreading more love: because the world definitely needs some more.