Monday night I settled in to watch some TV as the worst two day snow event since 1949 raged outside. CSI Miami was deep into its story line about to reveal a key element of the mystery. With fewer than 8 minutes to go the screen turned dark followed by the announcement, "We interrupt this program…"
Following about 7 and a half minutes of snow event and school closing information they returned us to our "regularly scheduled programming" just in time for the last 30 seconds of the program.
I invested nearly an hour of my life in this program just to have the most important part of the show snatched away to provide information that could have waited until the ten o'clock news aired. I'm annoyed but understand when the station interrupts a show I've been watching for emergency either, act now or die information. However the news that was broadcast on this occasion was neither time sensitive nor critical for anyone's survival. I know who "done it" but I'm not sure why. I guess I'll have to wait for the reruns.
What will I learn from this experience? A key lesson is my continued belief in the illusion that I am in control. Did my rising blood pressure bring the show back any sooner? Someone thought the information was important to share. What makes me think that my inconvenience as a viewer is a factor in how this decision was made? I'm often guilty of thinking the world revolves around me.
The lesson of the Lenten journey is, Don the world doesn't revolve around you. I remember the gospel story of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. The temptation was to act as if his hunger was the most important thing. He said it wasn't. Not an easy decision to make. My Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are designed to help me learn and commit my life to the Gospel message; to give your life away is at the heart of the Christian life. I would not have thought this message would have been brought home so powerfully by one night's TV viewing.
"Praise the Lord, Jerusalem." (Ps 147:12a)