My Life Without (gasp!) . . . Television

The story of how our family lost its TV was quite ominous and mysterious to my little mind. It had happened before I was born, and we'd never had a TV since. Evidently, the amount of time spent in front of the 'tube' was concerning to my mom, and she began to pray that it might be, uh, removed from our household. Soon thereafter, our TV began to smoke. Literally. In my little mind, I could picture black smoke rising up out of the TV. (Since then, I've always tried to stay on my mom's good side . . . !) They took it to the repair shop, but never got it back. To my young mind, the evidence was clear: God had acted, and TV was bad.

I still remember the day when we finally got a TV. We had gone the first 16 years of my life without one, and I was firmly embedded in the belief that I was better for it. I did all sorts of other things. As a young guy, afternoons found me with a few buddies, out in the back pasture, pretending to be Daniel Boone and Davy Crocket, complete with fake long guns. As I got older, real hunting replaced fake hunting. Sports were a big part of life. I also learned how to lose myself in a good book—a habit I still have to this day. Most of all, I used my imagination, and that provided plenty of entertainment. But one day, we got a TV and a VCR. I think I remember it so clearly because it seemed so . . . strange.

I adjusted quickly, however. Soon, I was finishing each day with Sports Center, or whatever else was on ESPN. We started renting movies and watching shows and everything that 'normal' families do. We were pretty tame in our choices, but I do remember that a family division started to arise. Maybe your family has it also. As kids, there were movies that we all watched, and movies that "Mom and Dad probably wouldn't like." Funny thing was, we weren't really watching anything too risqué. But with Mom and Dad being part of the older generation and everything, they were just a bit more sensitive in their consciences than we were. We didn't want to watch anything with them that might, you know, offend them or something. Sometimes the realities of life can be a little shocking to those who aren't young and relevant, and we wouldn't have wanted to spoil their naiveté . . .

You know those moments in life when you realize up is down and down is up? I sure was surprised when I found out that Mom and Dad avoided certain movies to protect us, not themselves! What a novel idea! Here I was, sure that they would have been shocked by all of the 'mature' issues these films were dealing with, and they were avoiding them to protect me! Hmm . . .

Soon I left for college, and encountered a strange phenomenon: Guys would stay up all night to shoot aliens and zombies on a TV screen, when there was a real world right outside the men's dorm. Some of these same guys (who I deeply love to this day) struggled intensely with internet pornography, but insisted on the need to watch most of the latest movies so that they could stay 'relevant.' Might there be a connection? Many of them finally lived out Jesus' words to 'cut it off' and decided to be more careful with what filled their minds. I wonder if sometimes our ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy starts to become handicapped . . .

I remember sitting around with a group of guys one night and quoting nearly every line from a popular movie . . . and afterwards wondering how our world would be different if Christians knew their Bibles that well . . .

I've been out of college for a few years now, and my love/hate relationship with media continues. Although I've never gotten in the habit of watching anything really rotten, I have watched some of the mainstream shows. I've started to question the imprint that media makes on my heart. And I've started to be much more careful about what I watch and listen to, because I wonder if our hearts aren't nearly as tough as we think they are. I wonder if we are far more susceptible to the imprinting of the world than we think. I suspect that we are far more influenced by the world of make believe than we admit. I think our hearts are sensitive—and we should guard them. I wonder—what things 'imprint' our hearts, and where do they come from?

Is lust really just a lost battle for every man—or do the seemingly safe movies we watch stir us more than we think? Is greed something that all Americans struggle with—or do the advertisements we sit through impact us more than we admit? Do all people struggle with comparing themselves to others—or is this a result of watching abnormal people live out unrealistic lives on television? Gossip? Swearing? Ungodly ambition? The list goes on . . .

I haven't gotten rid of my TV just yet, (nor have I canceled my subscription to Netflix), but I'm choosing to be much more careful about what I watch and listen to these days. Jesus often links the eyes and the heart (Mt 6:22). Paul tells us to guard what we think about (Phil. 4:8). And in Ephesians 5:3, Paul says, "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people." The old standby question still works—would I feel comfortable watching that show with Jesus as my viewing partner? I don't think Jesus is 'out-of-touch' or 'extra-sensitive'—but He is HOLY . . . and I'm called to be also. Not so that I can impress anyone. Not so I can miss out on the rest of life. Not even to 'follow the rules.' No, it's to guard my heart. Because my heart isn't as tough as I used to think it is. Maybe the older generation isn't so naive after all! Does your TV need to start smoking?!!