The Stinkin’ Little Ugly TV

• September 19, 2016
• Journey

You know when you have one of those moments when God slaps you upside the head? Remember me telling you that I see God with a frying pan needing to just hit me with it occasionally? Yup, had one of those moments today.

I’ve been asking God to let me see things as He sees them. Mainly people. These past few days God has been speaking to me about materialism, money, nice things, my shopping ways, the poor and needy- and other monetary matters. Interestingly enough, our 60 inch (I think) TV finally took it’s last breath a little while ago. Dead. Enormous paper weight. Use it for target practice. You get the point. I’m convinced I deserve extra brownie points for moving that thing off the fireplace and into the dinning room where it has reached it’s final resting place (for now). Personally, I think it’s a great location to just walk by and kick it for causing me all the issues to follow. Read on…

Immediately, I said “let’s research what we need and get a new one”.

In his infinite wisdom (can you tell I was annoyed?), Chris says “how about we just use the TV that’s in the classroom. It’ll be fine in here for now and we don’t use it in there anyway.” Um, no. “First, it looks ugly. It’s not proportionate to the fireplace and it just looks weird. How am I supposed to have people over and have them think this is how I chose to decorate my house?” “We need a new TV, stat.” Second, “Seriously, this TV is too small and I can’t see it from the kitchen. I have to squint. How am I supposed to be working in there and see the TV when I have to squint?” (pray for me)

The thought of Chris’ suggestion just annoyed me. Like, for reals. Made me actually mad.

In my long-suffering christian wife, agree with my husband, be humble way I said “OK, we can try it for now”. Fully knowing I was going to allow this for a few days and then just order a new TV once we (meaning “I”) figured out what new TV we ‘needed’ (meaning “couldn’t live without”).

I get up every morning between 5 and 5:30 these days. Surprisingly, I just wake up. Maybe I’m getting old (because, you know, old people get up early). Maybe God’s just answering my prayer for quiet time. Maybe both. The beauty of this is that it allows me about 2 hours to read and study before I go about my stuff for the day. My favorite place to study is in the living room, curled on the well-loved brown leather couch, with my black coffee, a big bucket of colorful pens (yes, they bring me closer to Jesus), and my numerous books. Right in front of that stupid TV-that’s too small for the fireplace-and I hate.

Y’all. Wanna know how ridiculous I got about the TV? I sent a picture to my girlfriends of the TV saying “this is my life”. Seriously… Where’s Jesus with the frying pan? I’m sure He was just trying to pick which one He was going to use this time. Maybe the giant cast iron one would do the trick. 

I’m sitting here studying about “feeding and clothing the least of these” and “suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them ‘Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2: 14-16)

BAM! There’s the frying pan.

Wow.

I’m pathetic.

I had been talking about moving to a lesser house because that would allow us more money to use for people. Simplifying. For God. All the while, that TV was the frying pan that God needed to show me that I still have issues in this area. What’s the point of trying to do something big when my attitude clearly still needs some work in the small things. I’m still attached to my ‘stuff’.

So, the TV. It stays. For now.

It’s my daily reminder that I need to work on this ugly attitude of mine. My daily reminder that so many people would LOVE the TV that I hate. A daily reminder that I need to die to my material-loving self. That people need feeding and clothing. That people need medical attention. That people need deliverance from slavery and sickness all over the world. I don’t need a new TV. I don’t need to change up all my decor to meet the latest trends. I don’t need to buy the latest fashion styles. What I need is to open my eyes to the needs of others.

There are over two thousand verses in the Bible that talk about these topics of poverty, justice, resource distribution and such. Sounds like a pretty important topic to God. So, while I deal with myself and my priorities (which clearly need some work) – that TV stays.

I look at that TV and ask God to open my eyes to see things the way He sees them. Pray that my heart breaks for the things His heart breaks for. And actually do something about it. Hopefully, I’ll learn a little about dying to self and, in the process, deal with my skewed ideas of what people think of me based on how my house looks. 

“A frustrating trait about God is how He expects us to act on conviction fairly quickly. Pretty much the second He convinces us to move, to change, to shift, we’re supposed to. Despite how much we ponder it or talk about it, until we are obedient in word and deed, we’re just here pretending to be there.” Jen Hatmaker (in her book: Interrupted)

“We cannot think our way into a new kind of living. We must live our way into a new kind of thinking.” Richard Rohn (in his book: Simplicity)

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