an unfamiliar fortnight

It’s been two weeks since the cable plug was pulled. I don’t have much revelation to share yet, because major mind transformation in my life hasn’t ever happened quickly. If you know me well, you know I’m a slow processor. If I were a computer, most people would say to me all the time, Why are you being so slow? And they’d get frustrated and ultimately want to reboot me.

Don’t get me wrong. I know all things are possible with God, and I certainly could wake up tomorrow morning with great insight as to why the Holy Spirit was leading me into this media fast of sorts.

But for now, I just felt like reflecting on what this unfamiliar fortnight has been like.

Right away, I can think of three evenings spent with friends that may not have happened at all, or at least would’ve been much abbreviated, had I felt the pull to catch up on my DVR recordings. That’s encouraging to me, that my time is already invested more in relating to real people than to fictional characters.

Silence is becoming a more comfortable habitat. As an archetypal introvert, solitude has never bothered me. Silent solitude, though, has been a different story. An NFL game (I don’t even like the NFL) was familiar white noise while I milled around the kitchen cooking dinner. A TBS presentation of an old Julia Roberts movie made Sunday afternoon naps better somehow. But now, knowing that my home is silent, I enjoy the opportunity to meditate on Scripture, or write a thank-you note, or read a good book.

I remember when Tivo took the television world by storm, and consumers insisted that they had gained this unparalleled freedom in being able to watch their favorite shows on their own time. Isn’t that just like American culture? “I want what I want, when I want it, and since there are no commercials, it’s only 42 minutes of my time, instead of the full hour.” Demanding. Instantly gratifying. Justifying.

I’m not judging, either, ‘cause I was (am) definitely one of ‘em. I still think DVRs are glorious.

But I have to say, I’ve felt liberated these last two weeks in a different way. I don’t feel the pressure of fitting in a quick episode of Brothers and Sisters before choir practice, so I can recap with my co-workers the next morning. For all intents and purposes, I had slipped into a twisted bondage to television time, another To-Do List item that, 90% of the time, was fruitless at best.

I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t admit that on a couple of days, I’ve felt this senseless kind of sadness. I'm not proud to confess that I’ve felt loss over something so silly. Even still, it has been a separation that I continue to believe will serve me well, and one through which God will be faithful to teach me something, eventually.

And, in brighter news, while studying Romans 12 and living a life separate from the world, a media fast was suggested in church yesterday. Thanks, God, for giving me a head start on that.

So, stay tuned. To my story, that is. Not your cable box.