pulling the trigger (on obedience)

The next three months should be interesting. I disconnected my cable today. No fall premieres of my favorite TV shows. (Walker Family, I’ll miss you. Keep in touch.) No nightly news (which I can’t say I loved anyway, really). No celebrity interviews by Oprah in my DVR queue. No participation in the water cooler recaps of the latest reality show eliminations. No football games (that one really hurts). No Lifetime movies during Sunday afternoon naps. (Yes, I love me some Lifetime movies. Don’t judge me.)

Even when I was an intern making barely enough money to pay rent and utilities, cable has always been in my budget (that implies I have an actual budget, which I don’t, but you get my drift). It’s been a 10-year journey from basic cable, to expanded cable, then DirecTV, then Tivo. Ironically and despite the ever-advancing channel guide listings, I still have the same TV I inherited from my parents when I moved into my first apartment after college graduation. I hadn’t pulled the trigger yet on a flat screen TV, or high definition.

But today, I pulled a trigger alright.

“May I ask why you are downgrading?” the customer service agent asked me. I told her it was a financial decision, not a decision resulting from any dissatisfaction. The dissatisfaction part was true. The financial reason bit was partly true. (I had called a year ago and negotiated a lower price on my monthly bill, because I was so outraged at what I was paying for cable service.)

The real reason I disconnected my cable was out of obedience to the Holy Spirit. I confess that many months ago – maybe it’s been over a year, even? – I was burdened with this request, and I managed to suppress it, ignore it, justify the craziness of it.

But recently, I’ve been studying and learning about how to recognize the voice of God. I’ve also been convicted about having never felt really challenged in obedience. Turns out, God kind of won’t let things go, even (especially) if you don’t listen.

So far, He’s explained to me that it isn’t that I was watching awful things; it is about how I was spending my time. He hasn’t asked me to not watch TV; He’s asked me to disconnect my cable and spend my time more wisely. I imagine there’s a slew of other things I’ll learn through my TV fast. I’m looking forward to seeing what this life, sans TV, will look like (including what I’ll call the no-cable discount). I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, keep me posted on my favorite shows, will ya?