I was moved by the Lord to give things up this past February. The first was to truly fast on Fridays when we have our “fast and prayer” at church. It dawned on me that eating an early or late lunch is not fasting. And I wasn’t sure why, but all of a sudden the fasting became an important part of prayer.
The other thing I decided I needed to give up (not begrudgingly either) was television. I ended up with an attitude of, “well, at least February is a short month!” (Ok, ok, I didn’t say I was going to hide my selfish tendencies!) I also thought how the writers were on strike, and TV had gotten pretty bad anyway. (Of course the strike ended shortly after I started this.)
Now to clarify, I did allow myself to turn on an hour of TV while I got ready in the morning so I wasn’t totally out of touch with the world and knew the weather report for the day. But running around in the morning doesn’t make for much true “watching” of anything.
The first ten days of no TV were harder than I thought they’d be. I did watch one movie (I rationalized that one quite easily...a DVD isn't TV.) By the end of the month, I didn’t even turn TV on for that hour in the morning if I didn’t have to head to my job. Even when the writer’s strike was over and some of my favorite shows (there aren’t many) came back on, there was no temptation to watch.
Here’s what I gained:
1. I missed 29 days of political news and commercials and commercials in general. (And how is this a bad thing?)
2. I learned about how bad my “habit” really is. How much time I waste.
3. I had numerous opportunities to tell people (many unsaved) that no, I hadn’t seen that show because I’m not watching TV for February. It led to why, and turned into a casual conversation about God. The surprise for me was the ease I could share and the acceptance of others. (I must note that my Christian friends had more issue with it, leading me to wonder if God isn’t calling more Christians to sacrifice than we care to admit.)
4. God began to permeate all my conversations in some way, and with everyone I ran into.
5. I found out that unsaved friends know me well enough to send me things that they think I’d be interested from a spiritual perspective or because they pertain to the passions of my heart. God began opening doors in new, unexpected ways.
6. I was more considerate of others, especially strangers.
7. I learned that when something depressing hits me, I run to the kitchen and second to the couch to deal with it. (Like mind-numbing drugs.) I learned that when I can’t use those two physical comforts, God removes the negative feelings quicker and easier than any other time in my life.
8. I learned how to take the time to really listen. I was able to spend two hours on the phone with someone who was troubled, listening to her whole story before giving advice. I listened to my body to know what real hunger is again and when I’m truly tired and need rest.
9. I read seven books, something that is fun and relaxing for me, but I rarely do.
10. I was able to leisurely study for a final I had to take.
11. I re-learned that fasted prayer is prayer that is closer to God. Every hunger pang became a conversation with the Lord.
12. The one that surprised me most was that my “sacrifice” (sounds pious, huh?) made me more sensitive to things around me. I was able to hear what people were really saying, reading between the lines, and being led by the Holy Spirit to reach out and help when they wouldn’t or couldn’t ask.
13. I began recognizing blessings more. My cup was definitely half-full to overflowing.
14. I rediscovered the joy of tribulation. Those low times led to more-than-I-deserve happiness.
15. I remembered THE sacrifice all over again, and became broken in that way we only do in total appreciation for something we can’t express through any human means.
Now, I’m not saying that giving up TV makes you a better person. But listening to God and being willing to give up whatever was hindering me from the best relationship with Him led me in that direction.
If you’re thinking, “WOW, she must have watched a lot of TV!” Not true. But obviously I watched too much.
If you’re thinking, “Who is she telling me that I need to sacrifice?” Maybe God is calling you to give something up for Him.
If you’re telling yourself, “I can’t fast because….” You need to have a heart to heart with God, because He says, “When you fast and pray.” (Let me insert a medical advisory here, everyone cannot fast! But it’s rare.) Maybe you need to research fasting a little before you fight it. There are many misperceptions out there about it.
If you’re truly happy for the things I learned and aren’t feeling guilty or judgmental, you are probably one of the people who prayed for me during the past month. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. May God bless you as He did me when I chose to give up things He asked me to.
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