My Heart was Set on Grey’s Anatomy
A few years ago I gave up my first TV show after being convicted by the Lord. The sexual content started to change the way I think, and the way I view sin. I’ll be straight forward about this. The show was “Grey’s Anatomy.” I loved the show. I got so sucked in. The characters were so well developed, the story lines were extremely well-done. But when George & Izzie started having an affair, I found myself pulling for them. 
They were sweet together. Never mind that George was married to someone else. I liked George & Izzie as a relationship! And when George and his wife Callie divorce, it’s amiable. It’s not so bad, really. Callie eventually becomes a lesbian, and I even started to find myself pulling for her relationship–though I never watched the intimate scenes. (This was the moment conviction began to set in…) The same things applied to the Derek-Meredith-Addison relationship. Of course every Grey’s Anatomy fan pulls for Derek & Meredith! And get this–they also love Addison! So then how, when Derek & Addison are married, can we be rooting for him to end up with the ‘other woman’?
I often hear things like “It doesn’t affect me” when I bring this subject up to people. They claim that simply watching adultery on television would NEVER lead them to infidelity. But my question is this: Why are we entertained by infidelity? Maybe it doesn’t lead you to the physical act of adultery yourself. But when you’re entertained by it, when you start to pull for relationships that are grounded in infidelity–then it’s already changed you. It’s changed your heart. It’s changed the way that you view sin. You no longer view it AS sin. It’s now just “entertainment”. They’re just actors, and it’s just a T.V. show. But the truth is–it’s SIN. I became convicted not because I was watching sin, but because there was something in my heart that ENJOYED watching sin. I found it “entertaining.”
I started examining other shows, movies, and even music that I enjoyed. And I asked myself, “WHY do I find this entertaining?” More often than not–I was entertained by something that was inherently SINFUL. Sometimes it was the obvious case of being entertained by an extremely ungodly relationship, and pulling for them to succeed in their sin. Other times it was more subtle, like when the drama and gossip of Reality TV reeled me in. God really convicted me that if I found that show “entertaining”, there must be something in my heart that thinks sin is okay. That ENJOYS sin. That takes pleasure in it. How could I be entertained with the sins of the world? At first it was only Grey’s Anatomy, but over the past few years I have slowly weeded out more and more of what the world calls “entertainment.” Not really because I got convicted about each show. I didn’t. But the more I sought God first (BEFORE spending my free time watching TV!), the more I just didn’t find it entertaining.
I’ve learned that as I walk closer to the Lord, I begin to more closely examine the things I watch and listen to. I’ll turn a show on, and rather than finding it entertaining–I’m appalled at their sin. I started thinking, “How could I have ever watched this FOR FUN???” It’s just not fun anymore. A few months ago, I even heard the song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and found myself becoming depressed that so many people believe life is just about having a good time. I remember hearing that song and dancing around having a great time, but now it makes me a little sad. It makes me want to show people that having “fun” is overrated. That life has a MUCH bigger purpose, and that is Christ! When I start evaluating EVERYTHING in light of the truth of God’s Word, almost all “entertainment” loses its appeal! And when my heart is truly set on Christ, it can no longer find “pleasure” in sin.
Here’s a great question to ask yourself:
“Am I being entertained by something Christ died for?”
–Steve Whipple
(former youth minister of a friend of mine)
Related Posts:
It Doesn’t Bother Me… by Lessons of Mercy
Worth the Cost: Pursuing Only Godly Entertainment by The Musings of Zania
Beautiful post! Thank you for sharing this truth!! I pray your words cause others to evaluate their own entertainment choices. God Bless sister in Christ!
Kayla
Amen. It’s so true. The more time we spend with God the more the Holy Spirit quickens us. The funniest thing is when you attempt to re-watch something you had fond memories of enjoying. And the entertainment is so creative but tainted with sin. If we ask God he will give us Godly entertainment and remove the amount of hours we think we need for entertainment.
“If we ask God he will give us Godly entertainment and remove the amount of hours we think we need for entertainment.” Yes, He will! And it’s so exciting when he does! Thanks for being a bit of my inspiration for this post!
I like this! I watch very little TV at this point, it just doesn’t add much to my life. But I am a big reader and have noticed that I am deeply affected by what I read. A filter that I have placed on reading/movies is to ask myself if it would be okay for my teenagers to read/view it. Really helps me keep it in perspective.
Wow this is basically what I am experiencing right now with several shows! I’ve been feeling convicted, but I love these shows so much that it is so hard to let go of them, meanwhile, the Holy Spirit has been tugging at me to guard my heart against shows that glamorize adultery, among many other things! Great post!!
Thanks Katie! It’s definitely a struggle! There are STILL times that I find myself wondering about the characters of Grey’s Anatomy–and wanting to know what else has happened on the show. Early on, I would even pull it up on hulu, and then after watching about 2 minutes of the show I would be so convicted that I would feel sick. And I’m actually really glad that God sent that kind of conviction–I definitely NEEDED it!