What are you watching?

6 days ago

4 min read

Psalm 101:3

³I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

Grab your popcorn, sit back and relax, and let me tell you a story that was not one of my finest hours. On one of our first dates I took my wife Sarah to see a movie. She, of course, was not my wife at the time and after this little stunt I'm not sure why there was another date after this, but here we are 30 years later! (The Lord is merciful.)

I was playing summer baseball in Waterloo, Iowa. Sarah and I had just started dating so she asked some friends to come with her to visit me and watch a game or two. We had some time before one of the games so we all decided to go and see a movie. I believe it was my idea to take my new girlfriend to see....(are you ready for this?)...the comedy Kingpin. A crass, raunchy movie that I had no business taking a new girlfriend to see. I laughed out loud at the obnoxious jokes and the sick humor. She just had a mortified look on her face the entire time, and rightfully so. To this day when the movie comes on TV I just shake my head in disbelief. From the first day I met Sarah I have called her my Disney princess. Not in a bad way, but in an admirable way. She has always been very careful about what she puts in front of her eyes when it comes to entertainment. She is sensitive about not letting her eyes view trash, and this has carried over into the way she has raised our children. Whether it's a TV show, movie, something on the phone, a commercial, something evil, or inappropriate humor, she doesn't want it in her mind, or in the mind's of her family.

If I could go back in time I would slap myself in the back of the head and say, "Hey! No Kingpin!" It truly is a miracle of God that she stuck around.

Psalm 100:3 is a reminder to me that I need to do better when it comes to what I allow my eyes to see. God's Word is clear, do not set anything "worthless" before your eyes.

Why?

Because worthless things have a tendency to "cling" to you. Once your eyes see something inappropriate it can be very hard to get the picture out of your head. The eyes are a window into the soul, and you must be careful what gets burned into your brain!

Your eyes will either allow light to shine in and illuminate, or usher in wickedness and cast darkness over everything.

The most common cause of anxiety, depression, and suffering are the images that overwhelm us on a daily basis. Let me ask you a direct question. How careful are you with what you allow your eyes to see and your ears to hear? Have you taken inventory on what are your favorite things to watch? Have you paid attention to how those things affect you?

Several years ago a friend recommended the TV show The Walking Dead to me. I started watching Season 1 and was immediately hooked. Before long I was binge-watching the seasons and staying up late to watch "just one more episode." That's when something strange started to happen. I noticed a growing cynicism toward people. My patience grew thin and sometimes I had almost a disdain for things that shouldn't have been that big of a deal.

I noticed that I often woke up depressed and my overall view of the world was darkening . The straw that broke the camels back was when I realized how angry I was all the time. Everything bothered me.

That's when I realized what was happening. I was filling my head with content that was not God-honoring. It was, in fact, the opposite! And what I was watching was turning me into a "walking dead person." I thank God for bringing this to my attention! I stopped watching and I noticed a positive change immediately.

Do you relate to anything I just said? There is a chance that your attitude and perspective toward life is being impacted by what you're watching or listening to!

At this time it would be helpful to read what Jesus had to say about this subject.

Matthew 6:22-23

²²“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

My friend, please pay attention to these words. God created you and He understands how your mind works. If you find yourself struggling with negativity in your head, anxiety that overwhelms, and darkness covering all you do, stop and ask yourself the question...