Home Alone

Several years ago, Heather began a Monday night ritual of watching the Bachelor with a friend of hers. Each Monday she and her friend would meet at one of their houses for a tape delayed viewing of the popular show. Now, before I get too far into the meat of this blog, let me just say that there are some good, godly people that watch the Bachelor. However, many of the things promoted through the show are about as far from godly as you can get. Looking back (hindsight is always 20/20) on what happened to our marriage during the summer of 2011, it is fairly evident that "garbage in, garbage out" certainly became a factor in Heather's life. The viewing of the Bachelor eventually led to other "must-see" TV shows for the two of them: Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and One Tree Hill (to name a few). The Monday night ritual eventually had to be extended to Thursday night just to get all of the shows in. These late night viewings would often lead to Heather coming to bed at 1:00 am or later.

I share all of this because Satan's subtle schemes worked like "black" magic on our marriage. What started out as much needed "girl-time" became a way in which Satan filled Heather's mind with worldly lies that sent her ever so slowly down a path toward destruction. This "girl-time" eventually led Heather away from home several times a week, and our marriage began to drift apart without us even really knowing it. In fact, it got so bad that they even added another friend or two one night a week, and made it "late-night" movie night at the theater. What was my role in this dangerous lifestyle? Much like Adam's role in Genesis, I guess. I just stood there by her side watching it happen and didn't do anything. In fact, I got so used to it that I almost didn't even care that she was gone. She convinced me that she needed the "girl-time," and I wasn't strong enough to warn her of the dangers that were creeping into her life. Well, I take that back, somewhat. I actually did confront her about it that summer, but she was already well into her destructive actions by that point. I was too late, and didn't even know it!

Did a couple of TV shows lead to Heather's infidelity? Without sounding too harsh, I am 100% convinced that it played a factor. Does that mean that other people that watch similar questionable TV shows are doomed for the same fate? Absolutely not. I believe that Heather's experience in gravitating religiously to these television shows only exposed and fed some other problems that had been going on in her heart for quite some time. However, I do think that we all need to be extremely careful about what we allow our eyes to see and our minds to feast on. We've heard it before, but "it can happen to anybody." I urge you to just take some time this week to prayerfully ask God if your television viewing schedule is honoring to Him. If you get a "red flag," please stop before it leads you down a path of destruction!

Those three paragraphs lead me to this...

It is Monday night, and I am "Home Alone" again. Well, not really alone, I guess. My two boys and Buster (our 13 year old Chocolate Lab) are here with me. But, Heather is gone again tonight...only this time with my blessing. Oh, what a difference 19 months can make. Tonight, as is her ritual every Monday night at 8:30, she is at a women's Bible study. She has been a part of Bible studies in the past, but this time is different. She was touched by God 19 months ago, and she has been running to Him since. I am so thankful for the ladies that pour into her and invest in her every Monday night.

Several months ago she even got to the point that she had the opportunity to "extend" her Bible study times to multiple times a week. Sound familiar? Only this time it wasn't television! However, Heather made some wise decisions to limit her time away from me and her family, and, she even asked me to help her with the decisions! That is certainly the mark of maturity, and the mark of a life that has been changed by the grace of God!

So, I sit here at home...alone...on another Monday night. This time, I miss her. I cannot wait for her to be home soon, but I thank God I am "Home Alone."

Rusty Bryant