Junk Food for the Mind

Bill and I have been staying at the Hampton Inn in Westport, Massachusetts the last few days, thanks to Pastor Chris Axton. Although we have not turned on the TV in our hotel room, it seems that these days you just can't avoid TVs. They are in Walmart stores, convenience stores...we were even at a gas station that had TVs posted at the pump. When we go downstairs to eat breakfast, the TV belches out bad news of murders and crime. Nice wakeup call. When I went to work out on the treadmill, Dr. Oz tried to fix the world and Ellen was propagating her twisted view of the equality-for-women issue.

I find America's addiction to television amazing. I have never owned a TV and hope I never do. We have the Internet on our computers, but we rarely access TV entertainment programming and we are not in the habit of watching movies of any kind. Even as a kid, although I sometimes watched TV at friends' houses (my favorite show was "Little House on the Prairie"...pretty tame stuff), I was clearly aware that there were a lot more worthwhile things to do other than sit in front of an entertainment box for hours on end. 

Statistically, the average American spends 13 YEARS of his/her life watching television. That is about 1/6th of a person's life! I dedicated a chapter in my book Food for Thought to this topic. I called the chapter "Resident Thief." 

I could write a loooong book about the reasons I have chosen to not own a television. To put it in a nutshell, the vast majority of TV programming is junk food for the mind. It opposes everything the Bible promotes: purity of mind, godly living, kindness to others... Truth be told, TV provides a cheap education that we could all do without. 

I am not like an ostrich with his head in the sand. I do not consider myself repressed or old-fashioned. I am not trying to avoid reality. I am not trying to be a goody-two-shoes. 

But eat enough junk and you will get sick. Sorry, I don't want the kind of sickness that TV viewing produces. Fear. Anxiety. Depression. Worry. I don't care how strong a Christian a person is, watching only a little amount of TV a day will wear you down, steal your peace, and rob you of good judgment. 

I will never try to impose my views on others, but neither will I apologize or feel inferior and back-woodsy because I don't fill my mind with TV's Twinkies for the mind. In this regard, I don't mind being blissfully ignorant of all the junk that other people fill their minds with.

I'll keep my peace. I'll look to the Bible for answers, not a bunch of people who spout off what is generally nothing more than nonsense. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that reality shows were spawned because people were tired of fake and bored with regular programming. Unfortunately, even reality shows are not true reality; walking in the Spirit is true reality!! 

Living for God is where it's at. Why people - especially Christians - would trade pursuing God for flimsy, shallow entertainment is beyond my comprehension. It is a poor imitation for feeling the presence of Almighty God and allowing Him to minister to and through us. Many use TV as an escape, but Jesus is the best escape. He will always leave us feeling better emotionally and spiritually, not worse.

I do not write this with a better-than-thou attitude. Before God, I can honestly say that I am not self-righteous about this. I am actually grateful to be using 13 years of my life in a way that is more productive and exciting than TV can ever be. I love the way I live and don't feel like I am missing out on anything worthwhile by not watching TV. Maybe you feel the same way, or maybe this article will motivate you to rethink the time you waste ingesting junk food for your mind. I wish you a truly abundant life in Christ Jesus!