by Ryan P. Desmond

Changing the Channel

In a recent Tweet, Life Time made the public aware of a change in the way they are doing business. They decided to change the channel on their TV programming. In exchange for the negative news cycle, Life Time will air shows that are more positive and family oriented, in an effort to improve emotional well-being.

Bahram Akradi, CEO of Life Time, founded the company to promote a healthy way of life. The leadership feels this change is consistent with their philospohy and client’s desires for a healthy, family environment.

Kudos to the Brand

I am not sure if Life Time abides by a Christian philosophy; however, I give kudos to the company. This decision is more consistent with their business philosophy, and it also parallels my belief of healthy, biblical living. Our Way of Life should always reflect the teachings of Jesus Christ and laws of God. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (NIV). These words of wisdom are a short statement that draws from the life experiences of our forefathers and give us direction for applying biblical principles in a practical way.

We are rarely able to list all of the potential outcomes of the decisions that we make. Still, that does not change the fact that our decisions often have profound, everlasting affects. That is why the wisdom of others is so important. That is the significance of living in a biblical way. We are able to take advantage of the experiences of so many that have come before us. And in hindsight, we are delighted when we see how our decision to live biblically saved us from heartache. 

Psychologist, Dr. Graham C.L. Davy, Ph.D. believes, “[the emotional content of films and television programs] can affect your psychological health, by directly affecting your mood, and your mood can then affect many aspects of your thinking and behaviour.” His belief supports the sentiments expressed by the author of Proverbs. We must guard our hearts and minds from negativity of all kinds, even sensationalized news. Negatively-charged, sensationalized news has the potential to affect our mood for an entire day. An article published in the Harvard Business Review said, “Individuals who watched just three minutes of negative news in the morning had a whopping 27% greater likelihood of reporting their day as unhappy six to eight hours later compared to the positive condition.”

Summary

As Christians, we must be well informed regarding the events that occur in life. We must also guard ourselves from the onslaught of negative outcomes that sensationalized news tends to market. That is just a way for them to improve ratings. Staying up-to-date on current events, like crime, famine, war, violence, political unrest, and injustice is important to life, because we are more aware of the types of decisions that we must make. And our decisions have the power to guide the world in a godly direction. Life Time has taken a huge step toward creating a more biblical environment on earth.