More from Gail Parker

When reflecting on this memory from my childhood, it occurred to me that my dad didn’t walk into the room and turn off the TV. Instead, he broke through our fear and brought clarity to the situation: we could turn it off! This strikes me as what our heavenly Father so often does. To be sure, there are times in our lives when God shows up in unexpected ways to solve a problem for us—and we’re grateful for it. But more often, God calls on us to do the work and gives us the authority and ability to take action by God’s Spirit.

We each know what robs us of peace. Perhaps it’s when we subject ourselves to a never-ending cycle of news, politics, and culture wars that constantly focuses on the negative. But maybe it’s more subtle, like scrolling through beautiful images on social media of material goods, experiences, or even relationships that we long for but worry that we may never have. We know we shouldn’t dive into these things . . . and yet we do.

When we spend our time immersed in the culture of the world, we soon begin to look just like it. We grow angry, judgmental, jealous, and greedy, or we submit to a life filled with fear and anxiety. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul urges us not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. As we delve into scripture, we’re reminded that our God is all-powerful—nothing is too hard for God (see Jer. 32:17). God is also a loving Father who doesn’t even let a sparrow fall to the ground without him (see Matt. 10:29-31) and promises that whatever losses we suffer for living for God, he will repay lavishly (see Matt. 19:29).

Turning off our screens and diving deeply into God’s presence through scripture and prayer may not change the world, but it will definitely change us. And then, who knows? A band of praying, Spirit-led believers may indeed make a difference in this world—starting with our own little corner of it.

You may be wondering whether my siblings and I turned off that movie. We did not! We foolishly sat through every terrifying minute of it! But as you can see, the lesson of that moment has stayed with me my entire life, and now I’m learning to put that wisdom into practice as I interact with today’s media.