So, I guess I’m going to do this. Give up T.V. For some reason I don’t feel convinced. But, I must admit that it’s something I felt I should do for a while. It really started out of a conviction that T.V. or what was on it or a combination of the two had become a god in my life – I had to have it.
It started specifically with University of Tennessee football. I do love those Vols! I had taken the time to put every game for two years on my calendar and as soon as the time for the game was announced I put that in too. Nothing wrong with that, right? It gets worse. I then planned everything else in my life around those games. I know a lot of men in America do this exact thing, but it was becoming uncomfortable, like the tag on your favorite shirt rubbing the back of your neck the wrong way. You love the shirt so you don’t want to change, but the constant rubbing leaves a knot in your stomach.
That irritability manifested itself in my attitudes as well. If I was out with my family and it was getting close to game time, I would begin to rush everyone along (not advisable with five children). The more I pushed, the more I frustrated my family. The more they got frustrated the more irritated I became. Don’t even get me started on how I acted if someone interrupted my game watching. You get the picture.
Finally, I felt like God gave me a smack on the back of the head, the kind you give your siblings when they says something stupid, and said, “Eric! It’s a game! What does it benefit you if they win, or cost you if they lose?” So, I did not watch the first 3 games of the season this year. After that I typically only had the game on in the background with the sound off. The only game I watched all the way through was the Music City Bowl.
Is there anything wrong with watching football? No. There was something wrong with the importance it had in my life.
Next thing I know I am beginning to wonder about all the T.V. shows I watch. They didn’t really carry the importance of football (unless it was Jim and Pam’s wedding on The Office). But what was I getting from them? What am I feeding my head? More importantly, what am I feeding my heart? Philippians 4:8 kept popping up like a weed in my head. I would pluck it with my excuses and it would spring back up and spread. It says this, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” What shows was I watching that fit each and everyone of those descriptions?
There you go. That’s how I came to this point. I may not completely succeed, but it’s not about that. It’s about taking something that was not edifying me spiritually and replacing it with things that are. Things that will help me and those around me to grow in Christ. We can figure what that is together, if you want to help. SUGGETIONS WELCOME. Here goes nothing.
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