“Are you still watching?” My biggest issue with seeing this question pop up on Netflix is actually considering how many episodes I’ve actually been watching to warrant being asked this question. We’ve all been utilising our time at home differently. Some to be productive, others to relax and fill up on new skills and hobbies, or focus on our health. In the middle of everything going on, you may have picked up some interesting habits to fill your time.
What are you watching?
What I’ve learned during quarantine is that the things I’m filling up on matters. It affects everything from my current mood, to my outlook on life and often times my responses to real world situations. My default is to settle in front of something mindless and allowing it to consume my life until I can drag myself out of the hole confused and disconnected. There’s a scripture in Philippians that comes to mind when returning to reality:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians chapter 4, verse 8)
Have the things I’ve been consuming (whether that’s binge watching a show, rereading a book series or being consumed by the Lord of the Rings Trilogy) been something that meets a standard of excellence and honourability. I’m in no way here to condemn you for your choices in content consumption, but rather here to question what we’ve allowed ourselves to become fixated on and ultimately affect our wellbeing. What are you watching and is it causing you distress or bringing you peace during a time of fear?
How are you responding?
I’ve spent the last 28 years of my life LOVING fantasy and science fiction. Pop me down in front of any imagination catalysing content and I’m in my happy place. What I’ve learned is that the type of content you fixate on, particularly in seasons of vulnerability and unease, shapes your responses to the world around you. For example, fixating on conspiracy theories during a pandemic may cause you to respond with fear and increased anxiety.
Our choice to keep the Word of God close, meditating on it and allowing our perspectives to be shaped by it affects how we respond to any circumstance. It allows us to choose hope and peace in moments of crisis and fear. Filling yourself with the right kind of content will ultimately affect how you respond to the world around you. The reality is that by filling yourself with conspiracies and fear, you will respond accordingly. The moment we choose to fill ourselves with the right type of content, we begin to respond to the world around us accordingly, allowing us to divide the truth from mere escapism.
Are you still watching?
Take a moment to really consider what you’ve been filling your soul with. Becoming a people that are fixated on the negative and conspiracies is easy, but are you watching and preparing for the opportunity to share hope with those around you?
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9)
We have been called to be more than mere observers of the world around us. We are called to be a light and a hope to a world that searches for peace. Being a chosen people means we can’t spend all our time merely watching the world pass us by, but we each have a part to play in revealing Christ to the world. Your part may look very different than mine, but we each have a role to play. My challenge to you is to consider how you are playing your part to fulfil your purpose in the world, or “are you still watching?”