Unplugged

"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you." Luke 11: 33-36

A couple of months ago my roommate and I cancelled our cable service. To be quite honest with you I was concerned.

I LOVE TV.

Some of my favorite memories of my childhood were of me and my family sitting, around watching TV. At my mom’s house we used to eat dinner and then watch TV together after homework was done. During the mornings and the weekends I was all about the cartoons. I loved Fresh Prince, Seinfeld, The Cosby Show, Voltron, He-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles… I could go on and on.

For several months before finally canceling cable I felt the urge to cut it out of my life. I thought that I would be more productive and of course save some cash. But I was scared to do it. It was like I couldn’t let go.

But finally we pulled the trigger.

And something pretty amazing happened. Once I got through the first week’s withdrawal I felt ten pounds lighter! I had no idea that I was consuming so much junk from the tube. It wasn’t just the mindless programming and movies that disappeared. It was also all of that advertising.

As time passed these images of consumerism, sex, and greed were replaced with what I decided to fill my time with; books, quality time with friends, Bible reading for this blog, and various other projects.

I started feeling brand new.

In short… TV was one of the lamp shades covering my inner light. Once I removed it, I had more energy to burn hotter, shine brighter, and move faster toward my dreams.

Yes I have still watched some things and this is not an argument suggesting that TV is inherently bad or evil or something. Most things are fine in moderation.

But it did make me think more about what I choose to look at and what I choose to consume. It reminded me that the desires and focus of my heart and mind really are affected by what I allow myself to see and experience.

So here’s the food for thought for today...

Is there anything in your life casting a shadow over your light? If so… is it something you can let go of?

So far I’m still going strong… WHEW…

From my limited experience I can tell you this… If you can let go, you won’t have to wait long to see the magic happen.

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 19-21; Luke 11:29-54