Socially Acceptable Bingeing

Somewhere along the way, it became socially acceptable to
BINGE.  Now, I don’t mean BINGE drinking
or even BINGE eating.  I am referring to
a new type of BINGEING.  Today, it is all
about BINGE watching.  Netflix and other
streaming services have led us to a new type of television consumption.  In the “olden days,” we would watch a series
play itself out over the course of a whole year.  We could count on a fall premiere, repeats
during the holidays, and a season finale sometime in May.  Now, shows start and end throughout the
year.  Many shows don’t even air on
traditional television.  The former NBC
comedy, Community, moved to Yahoo screen. 
Hulu Plus has a handful of original programs as does Netflix.  Those are just a few of the options that
people have today.  Unlike many of the
other streaming services, Netflix likes to release a whole season at once.  House of Cards and the new Daredevil series
are among those shows that viewers receive and will often consume in one
weekend.  You will find these folks emerge
from the TV bunkers after a weekend of being hunkered down.  During that short period, they will watch and
watch hours of television.  Am I guilty of
this type of TV watching?  Yep.  Is it healthy?  Nope.

Any time we attach the word BINGE to something, it isn’t going to be a good thing.  Over the years
I have had my struggles with BINGE eating, but never thought about how bad it
was for me to sit around and watch those hours of television.  Many in health and fitness circles call
sitting the new “smoking.”  It is that
thing that many of us are doing, but don’t really think about.  Now, I personally wouldn’t compare sitting
with smoking, but I will attest the impact of a lack of activity.

So what we do when the family says, “Let’s BINGE watch the
first season of MASH” and you want to strive to be HEALTHY.  Here are two things to remember…

1.  God wants us to focus our minds and hearts on
Him.  Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever
is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable—if there is any moral excellence and
if there is any praise—dwell on these things.” (HCSB)  Can we do that when we fill our mind with
other things?  The shows that we might
BINGE on might not be bad by themselves, but just like BINGEING on good food,
too much of even a good thing can have bad results.

2.  God wants
us to be moving.  There is an expectation from the Father that
we will be moving.  Even in the Great
Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), the original language expresses itself better
with a “As you are going, Make disciples.” 
It is not a command to get up and move. 
It is expected that you will be moving. 
How many lives can we impact by hiding away in our living rooms or
bedrooms watching all of the last season of the Walking Dead?  Not to mention, there is the issue of being
sedentary that long.  A healthy life is
one in motion.

You might not have ever BINGED on anything.  If so, I commend you for that.  If not, you are like most of us.  We lose self-control and turn from a HEALTHY
lifestyle.  Trust God and He can help you
have the discipline to honor Him with every aspect of your life.