This year, after several years spent not observing it, I made the decision to engage Lent. Although its not necessarily part of my upbringing or church background, I started observing Lent my senior year of high school with a number of my Roman Catholic co-workers. At that point, all I knew about Lent was that it started on a Wednesday and it involved giving something up until Easter. Over the years, I’ve given up chocolate, coffee, and meat on Fridays, and I can’t say that it made a substantial difference in my relationship with God. In fact, I’d venture a guess that it simply made me whinier and more difficult to be around (particularly the year I gave up coffee).
This year my approach was different. Lent is a season of preparation. It’s a time of reflection, soul-searching, and repentance. It’s not simply a time of abstinence, but also a time to engage God at a deeper level. With that in mind, in consultation with God, I made the decision to fast movies and television.
It sounds easy, maybe even a tad bit silly. I don’t really have time for those things anyway, do I? You’d be surprised.
What I’ve realized in the past few days is what I use television and movies for. All too frequently, I use movies to escape reality. This isn’t tragic, but it surprised me how often it happens. Instead of engaging God after a frustrating day or when I’m feeling emotional, or making any effort to process what’s going on inside my head, I simply sit in front of a screen and shut down.
Even worse, I (and others) use television and movies as a means of luring me to stop and rest. I am on the go a lot, and recently, I had bronchitis. Although I conceded to two sick days, per my doctors orders, once I returned to work I continued at the ridiculous pace of my normal life, not considering that I needed to continue to rest. On two occasions, friends asked me to watch movies/television programs with them simply because they knew it would get me to sit still for a period of time and relax.
It was noticeably quieter around my apartment this past weekend. The television wasn't on as I got ready for work in the morning, or as I took care of chores around the apartment. My times with God have gotten a bit longer. And I’m learning, ever so slowly, how to stop. It raises more questions then anything. Do I trust God enough to stop and rest? When did I stop consulting God about scheduling and start overscheduling on a nearly daily basis?
I’m still working on the answers….but so far its just been helpful to pause long enough to ask the questions.
This year my approach was different. Lent is a season of preparation. It’s a time of reflection, soul-searching, and repentance. It’s not simply a time of abstinence, but also a time to engage God at a deeper level. With that in mind, in consultation with God, I made the decision to fast movies and television.
It sounds easy, maybe even a tad bit silly. I don’t really have time for those things anyway, do I? You’d be surprised.
What I’ve realized in the past few days is what I use television and movies for. All too frequently, I use movies to escape reality. This isn’t tragic, but it surprised me how often it happens. Instead of engaging God after a frustrating day or when I’m feeling emotional, or making any effort to process what’s going on inside my head, I simply sit in front of a screen and shut down.
Even worse, I (and others) use television and movies as a means of luring me to stop and rest. I am on the go a lot, and recently, I had bronchitis. Although I conceded to two sick days, per my doctors orders, once I returned to work I continued at the ridiculous pace of my normal life, not considering that I needed to continue to rest. On two occasions, friends asked me to watch movies/television programs with them simply because they knew it would get me to sit still for a period of time and relax.
It was noticeably quieter around my apartment this past weekend. The television wasn't on as I got ready for work in the morning, or as I took care of chores around the apartment. My times with God have gotten a bit longer. And I’m learning, ever so slowly, how to stop. It raises more questions then anything. Do I trust God enough to stop and rest? When did I stop consulting God about scheduling and start overscheduling on a nearly daily basis?
I’m still working on the answers….but so far its just been helpful to pause long enough to ask the questions.