Life Beyond TV

I recently received this testimony from Steve and Rachel Gonzales, who found themselves without TV and lived to tell about it. Here’s their story from Rachel.

Steve and I have been married almost 11 years and have two young daughters. Isabella is 6 and Sophia is 3. We moved here to PA in 2006 so Steve could pursue his dream of a PhD in chemistry--he's currently a full time grad student at UPenn. I stay at home and also home educate our girls. Grad students don't actually make very much money and we are not independently wealthy :)

We came from a lifestyle that was not extravagant by cultural standards, but one that was comfortable and, now thanks to hindsight, one that we realize was wasteful. Now we are in a situation where every dollar is important, very important. Last spring we were evaluating our expenses and realized our "bundled" service for TV, phone, cell phones, and internet did save money over individual pricing, but we still needed to cut back--we simply couldn't afford it all. Steve and I also realized that we were spending most of our alone couple time in front of the TV - it was a way for both of us to unwind after exhausting days. I had never thought of either of us as "addicted to TV" types--we have a few shows we liked to watch, but TV wasn't really a problem for us. I was never even worried about the content of what we watched--we typically stay away from the "concerning" programming, so again, TV wasn't really a problem for us. But we noticed that we weren’t talking as much. Steve's schedule as a student is more demanding, so our couple time has been reduced, but our TV time had actually increased - not good. The point is that while TV wasn't really a problem for us by today's cultural standards, we sensed that it had become a way for us to cope with the stress of our new life here in PA. It was not a need and had become a luxury we could no longer afford. To be honest, when we made the decision to disconnect our TV service, it wasn't even a spiritual one--it was mostly one of economics. But to God, all things are spiritual.

We disconnected our TV service last April. I missed my home decorating shows, we both missed our forensic shows, and the girls missed their TV-in-the-morning routine. The girls fought much more (for weeks) and I began to think we had really made a mistake, a big mistake. Then some interesting things began to happen. Steve began reading more than his science papers and journals that he had to read--he began reading books about God--and he shared with me what God was teaching him. I began reading some of his recommendations and was inspired too. I also began reading classic literature that had been on my list for years, but I hadn't been able to fit in because of caring for my family, home schooling, and all that TV I had to watch had kept me pretty busy ;). Steve and I were really enjoying each other's company again--talking, discussing, sharing. At about week 4 our girls suddenly quit arguing and quarreling (okay, not completely, but a significant reduction). They began playing more and more and I watched their already active imaginations go to a new level. Steve got out his guitars and began playing again (a lifelong hobby of his that had almost been non-existent since he began school). And not only was he playing again, he was learning more Christian music--beautiful. Our home is generally more presentable (not this week actually, but usually :) because I have more time to care for it. And some of our around-the-house-projects are seeing progress. I've also had time to get back to some of my hobbies.

But the biggest change was that we started going to bed earlier and I was sleeping better. I have always considered myself more of a night owl--I've never been a fan of getting up early. But slowly as my body adjusted to going to bed earlier, it has also adjusted to getting up earlier. Now that I've been without TV for this long, I think I may be one of those people who are affected by the blue light emitted by TVs that can make it hard for some to fall asleep - it was regular for me to toss and turn for 1+ hours before I could fall asleep when I was ending my night by watching TV. Now I rarely have a hard time falling asleep and I'm going to bed earlier than I have most of my adult life. Steve is also enjoying more and better sleep. We have enjoyed so many benefits because I am more rested - I'm more patient, for example - definitely a good thing because I can be downright crabby when I'm tired. I have more energy not just to make it through the day, but to do more during the day.

But it's the getting up earlier part that is the best. I have time to sit with a nice cup of coffee that I'm enjoying instead of must-have-so-I-can-function and reading my Bible before our girls get up. And recently God has me journaling too - and I am blessed. Now I embrace the day instead of bracing for the day--God is so good!

There are a couple shows Steve and I do still like to watch, so we use the internet or iTunes. It's nice because we watch on our schedule and with few commercials. We do still let the girls watch some videos as well. There have been times when we wished we had TV service - every now and then we still want to vegge out, but even that desire is less and less. It would have been nice to be able to watch the Olympics and the Super Bowl and a few other special programs, but the internet made even these events available.

Who knew how much God had in store for us all because we could no longer afford TV service--we are so thankful! I think TV has become so much a part of our culture that it is hard for people to even imagine giving it up. When I called to cancel, the gentleman helping me couldn't comprehend that we weren't going to have any TV. Steve likes to describe it as "one of the best things we've ever done.” And we both praise God for being unable to afford TV service!