My church observes the season of Lent. Lent is a 40-day period of self-examination that leads up to and culminates in Good Friday and the Resurrection celebration. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Resurrection Sunday. The Sundays in between are not factored into the 40 days and are therefore considered “feast days”. During each Lenten season you are asked to “fast” from something. This year I have chosen television.
I have gone without television for two days now, and already I have observed a few interesting things…
The first thing is that I have noticed how much I use TV to “keep me company”. Often the TV will be on, and I am not paying attention to it – the background noise gives the illusion that someone else is with me in the apartment. I seem to need background noise to do things…even reading. But what I have noticed is that, even though my full attention is not on the TV, it is also not on what I’m reading. I miss much of what I’m trying to absorb in my reading when I allow the noise of the TV to drone on in the background.
Secondly, I have noticed how completely useless most of what I watch truly is to my well-being and edification. I love cop shows like Law and Order, Cold Case and CSI. TNT plays repeats of Law and Order every weeknight, and most of the time, I will sit there and mindlessly stare at an episode I have seen about 20 times. What is the point of that? I already know whodunit – the thrill of the chase is gone…the mind-numbing effect is what I’m looking for, and that is not good.
Thirdly, I noticed how much more I can accomplish in my evenings when the TV is not a constant distraction. Reading is enriched – special projects and hobbies I neglect have been rediscovered in these short two days.
Of course, the main point is for me to spend time in self-examination before the Lord. And looking at these preliminary observations points out ways in which I waste the time God has given me much of the time. I would not be one to say that I should never turn on my TV again. But the time that I spend in front of the TV has been excessive, and this is what needs to change.
And so we’ll see what else the Lord has to show me during this time. I still have 38 days left! If this is what He’s revealed in two, I’m both afraid and excited about what He will reveal in the days to come…
