John Piper doesn't watch TV!
neither do his wife and kids. says Piper, "you can raise five culturally sensitive and Biblically informed children without it. They never complained about it. In fact they often wondered out loud how people found the time to watch as much (television) as they do."
A chapter from the book 'Pierced by the Word' has this heading:
You have one precious lifeIs TV too big a part of it?
My mind struggled with extra-defensive arguments about positive things to be gained from watching TV as I read Piper's ardently written case against it. Being a highly enthusiastic Korean drama fan, I am guilty of watching TV for hours and hours on end even when pressing issues demand my attention. I don't know how many drama series I've finished this past year alone. (Note: One drama series can be anywhere from 16-75 hours long.) Sometimes I'd have a huge exam (or two) the next morning but the evening prior would find me lying on the couch telling my mom "I can afford to watch another one," and decisively inserting the next CD into our tired video player. Every time I wondered whether God wanted me to slacken my zeal in this area or stop watching k-dramas altogether, I denied the thought further entry and vomited it out of my mind by overeating on trite justifications. When I overindulged myself and felt terrible afterwards, I just told myself to forget about it and remember all the other times I'd had such fun watching TV. I was closing my eyes to the truth that fantasy was taking more of my time than reality. I was hardly living, really. I just kept watching and watching and watching, while my own life sped by me.
It was during the youth camp last May that God changed my perspective of things. That one week in Baguio was fun. It was relaxing. It challenged my old way of thinking and reawakened my passion for things of God. I discovered my life's calling there. My whole life began to make sense - everything that had ever happened to me, my greatest triumphs and most devastating experiences, appeared exceedingly pleasant as I realized that they were all part of a perfect plan that no one and no thing could ever thwart. I learned countless lessons; I prayed many prayers; I laughed and lived; I cried and found comfort; I made important decisions; I experienced God; I made new friends; I raised my stock of precious memories... and there was no TV, not even a minute of it, all throughout those 7 days. It was then that God granted me the wisdom to see the folly of my alibis and the truth of my excesses. I came back home renewed, determined to stay away from anything that kept me from loving God with all my heart and all my soul. My TV hours declined significantly. It felt exceedingly good to know that I was obeying God. I was praying more, reading more, gaining more and loving more. Those were the sweetest days.
I shouldn't have thought it would be so easy. I couldn't go cold turkey on TV. I encountered a particularly good program and my old addiction was roused from its comatose. After days of devotion to the fantastic fictional story radiating from the TV, the story ended, as all similar stories do. I was left empty, listless and disappointed (not because the story didn't end well but because it ended, period.). I definitely shouldn't have thought it would be easy. The Bible teaches us to always be on our toes especially when we think we are standing firm. But then again, I don't regret believing that it would be perfectly easy for the Spirit to conquer all my weaknesses. I still believe that God can and will bring me to the designated end in His mind, no matter how many times I seemingly backtrack to square one.
And hey, God is good. He is there to catch you when you fall. If I learned anything from this experience, it is that nothing satisfies like Jesus Christ. I thank my God that He is consistently there, a neverending source of joy, fulfillment and satisfaction. Neverending doesn't mean 75 episodes or 20 seasons - it means forever, without stopping, without running out, not even for a moment. What a comfort to know that God will never cease to be real in my life, that I will never run out of reasons to delight in Him, and that He will always be...
On the side, I almost bought a computer game last week while reminiscing about my King's Quest days, but then I realized that I didn't want to dig a pit for myself to fall into. Knowing how addicting these games could be (just like korean dramas), I wasn't willing to be consumed with thoughts and dreams of them anymore. I turned my back to the store and walked away, knowing that I was making the right decision. TV is enough of a snare. Why add to it?
That TV is all bad is probably not true. But we have to ask ourselves whether we are getting the good from it, coz for all we know, we could be soaking up only the bad. And what is bad? Whatever drives your thoughts away from God and His word, whatever makes you form selfish ambitions in your mind, whatever deceives you into thinking that this present life is all that matters, whatever keeps you from worshipping the Lord with reverence and fear, whatever you like so much that your love for God is diluted...
It was during the youth camp last May that God changed my perspective of things. That one week in Baguio was fun. It was relaxing. It challenged my old way of thinking and reawakened my passion for things of God. I discovered my life's calling there. My whole life began to make sense - everything that had ever happened to me, my greatest triumphs and most devastating experiences, appeared exceedingly pleasant as I realized that they were all part of a perfect plan that no one and no thing could ever thwart. I learned countless lessons; I prayed many prayers; I laughed and lived; I cried and found comfort; I made important decisions; I experienced God; I made new friends; I raised my stock of precious memories... and there was no TV, not even a minute of it, all throughout those 7 days. It was then that God granted me the wisdom to see the folly of my alibis and the truth of my excesses. I came back home renewed, determined to stay away from anything that kept me from loving God with all my heart and all my soul. My TV hours declined significantly. It felt exceedingly good to know that I was obeying God. I was praying more, reading more, gaining more and loving more. Those were the sweetest days.
I shouldn't have thought it would be so easy. I couldn't go cold turkey on TV. I encountered a particularly good program and my old addiction was roused from its comatose. After days of devotion to the fantastic fictional story radiating from the TV, the story ended, as all similar stories do. I was left empty, listless and disappointed (not because the story didn't end well but because it ended, period.). I definitely shouldn't have thought it would be easy. The Bible teaches us to always be on our toes especially when we think we are standing firm. But then again, I don't regret believing that it would be perfectly easy for the Spirit to conquer all my weaknesses. I still believe that God can and will bring me to the designated end in His mind, no matter how many times I seemingly backtrack to square one.
And hey, God is good. He is there to catch you when you fall. If I learned anything from this experience, it is that nothing satisfies like Jesus Christ. I thank my God that He is consistently there, a neverending source of joy, fulfillment and satisfaction. Neverending doesn't mean 75 episodes or 20 seasons - it means forever, without stopping, without running out, not even for a moment. What a comfort to know that God will never cease to be real in my life, that I will never run out of reasons to delight in Him, and that He will always be...
On the side, I almost bought a computer game last week while reminiscing about my King's Quest days, but then I realized that I didn't want to dig a pit for myself to fall into. Knowing how addicting these games could be (just like korean dramas), I wasn't willing to be consumed with thoughts and dreams of them anymore. I turned my back to the store and walked away, knowing that I was making the right decision. TV is enough of a snare. Why add to it?
That TV is all bad is probably not true. But we have to ask ourselves whether we are getting the good from it, coz for all we know, we could be soaking up only the bad. And what is bad? Whatever drives your thoughts away from God and His word, whatever makes you form selfish ambitions in your mind, whatever deceives you into thinking that this present life is all that matters, whatever keeps you from worshipping the Lord with reverence and fear, whatever you like so much that your love for God is diluted...
"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." Romans 13:14 NASB
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