Recently I was very, very tired. One
weary Sunday after preaching, while asking God to help me live out what
I preached, I had a clear sense of Him speaking to my spirit, “You need
rest, not entertainment.” For much of my life the end of
a hard day, the resolution of a trying situation, or finishing a long
week meant that I was entitled to some kind of entertaining reward. For me, television or movies always won the day. I came to discover that my “default setting” in response to stress was to turn to entertainment. This
impression concerning rest has been producing thoughts I’m trying to
work through so I can “change my settings” to be programmed in a way
that pleases God.
Just what is entertainment? Webster’s defines it as a noun – a diversion or amusement, something that holds our thoughts or attention. Entertainmnent
is the plethora of possible activities that divert us away from
reality, fill our thinking, and manipulate our feelings. In
my experience, while entertainments are enjoyable (otherwise we
wouldn’t run to them so much), I have found that they steal my time,
weary my mind, feed the flesh through subtle compromises, and encourage
an attitude of passivity because they require no response. I can be entertained and simply walk away unchanged, unmoved. But through entertainmnet I have been influenced in my spirit. Feeding on this world’s entertainment can only result in living a worldly life.
So what would God have us do? Are TV, movies, the net, mags, books all evil? Should we go back to the monastery so we can stay pure? I don’t think so. The answer, as God is teaching me, is found in pursuing and embracing God’s rest. More thoughts on that to come.
