Several of us read the book Fahrenheit 451 for school, if you have not, I would recommend it for pleasure. It is a book set in a futuristic society where bigger, better, louder entertainment is the goal, anything to distract. It is popular to have all four living room walls installed with floor to ceiling television screens, and at night people put in headphones to block out their thoughts. People’s conversation has become empty and pointless. Books themselves have become outlawed in the interest of public peace; they offend and stir up trouble by impressing their readers with certain views.  

I do not believe television is the devil here, but recently Lynn and I found ourselves watching more and more. It was easy to slip into; we always seemed exhausted when we weren’t working, and what with my heart condition, and having to pace myself, I felt Netflix was the only way to totally slow down. I might watch a show or two throughout the day between clients and knocking items off my to-do list. On days where we were out of it (which seemed frequent) we would watch a few shows over lunch. And then we would watch at least one together when we came together at the end of the day. We might also watch something over dinner, and then there was always the seduction of binge watching. Our conversations become fewer and our creative outlets received less attention.

This was a gradual building, but we hit a point where something needed to change. It was Lynn who suggested we go one week a month without television. I hopped on board and together we encouraged each other through. It was fabulous. Don’t misunderstand, it was also very challenging, and during the week I came up a million new things I wanted to see, but now I’ve lost much of the desire to actually sit down and watch them. I wrote more frequently, he filled half a notebook with drawings, I’ve started new crafting expeditions, I’m charging my way through two new books, I started listening to sermons online, we’ve had intellectual conversations verging on the inspirational, and we feel much closer as a couple. Though still just as tired, we feel more alive in our minds and more awake to the world around us.

I would encourage anybody and everybody to take a similar challenge, even if it’s for a day or two, and find your liberation!

On another note, Lynn and I are awaiting orders. God will send us where He wants us to go and empower us to tackle the unique challenges that location will bring. The bigger the struggles we face, the grander the opportunity for God to grow us in Himself. After all, life is a temporary challenge to bring Him as much glory as humanly possible. Challenge Accepted.

~Our Botanical Adventures~