Ernest Smith

So, if you read my post about 2 weeks ago, then you know that this is my first post back since that time.  On Saturday,  October 22^nd, I started a 10 day fast of media.  I chose to not watch TV, read the newspaper, search the Internet (except my bank account), mess with Facebook or tweet any of my random comments.  The only thing that I could do on media  was stuff that was related to work and tweet my morning Scripture application.  That was it.

Now, that may not seem too difficult for many of you and I didn’t feel that it would be too difficult for me either.  It could not be nearly as difficult as fasting food for 10 days…or so I thought.

During the 10 days, I found myself struggling with the desire to get on media.  I missed 3 games of the World Series, one of which was regarded as “one of the greatest baseball games in history.”  I missed lots of football, SportsCenter, tweets, TV shows, news articles and the list can go on and on.   What I thought would be easy, proved to be most difficult and so I had to ask the question “Why?”  Why is it so difficult to stay off of media?

Well, the easy answer is, because I have trained myself to need it.  Just like any drug or another addiction in someone’s life, if you allow media to get to a place where you feel like you “need” it, then it will become something you are attached to.  Now, I know that sounds weird to say that I “needed” media, but the reality is many people are in this same place.

Do you watch the News or the Weather Channel or SportsCenter in the morning?

Do you let your kid watch TV when they are acting up or you need a break?

Do you feel that you have to watch something to let your mind decompress in the evening?

Is there a TV show that you “can’t miss” throughout the week?

How often do you jump on Facebook or Twitter?

Is media a means to help you get to sleep at night?

For me, I could answer yes to many of these questions and God revealed to me, during this fast, many truths about myself and media.  Let me share some of those with you.

Truth #1: I Do Not Need Media to Fall Asleep

I have used the excuse over the years that I need to watch a movie or something on TV to help me shut off my mind so that I can fall asleep.  Well, that myth was debunked.  I fell asleep early every night, without the need of anything glaring in my eyes.

Truth #2: When I Shut Off Media, I Have More Time For Relationships

If there was anyone who was most happy about this fast, it was my wife.  We spent every night just talking, many nights I would fall asleep to her soothing voice.  I found that our communication with one another, and our relationship, thrived with media being shut off.

Truth #3: Media Can Consume My Relational Time, My Ministry Time And My Time With God

Without media in my life, I found more time for relationships, ministry opportunities and my time with God.  Many  people say that they don’t “have time” for something, but the reality is, we just use our time where we feel our priorities are.  There have been many days where my priority was a sports game, rather than my family or my ministry or my personal time with God.

This 10 day media fast was a real challenge, however, it was a true blessing as well.  I learned a ton over the last two weeks; now the key is making those truths a priority in my life and not allowing media to get a foothold back in my life.