If you are like me, then you enjoy being able to have a few moments during each week for one of your favorite hobbies, whether that is crafting, baking, writing, painting, sewing, gardening, or a spa night. We all have things that we find enjoyment in. These things are not what we get to do all of the time, but things that we enjoy when we have a few extra minutes. There is nothing better than being able to have a hobby that keeps us going in life. Sometimes this world seems dark, and the stresses and disappointments in life make us feel hopeless at times, so when we have a hobby that keeps us seeing the beauty of this world, we should hang on tight to it. But in that hanging on, there is a line that we can cross: letting a hobby become too much of the focus in our lives. A couple of years ago, I found myself making homemade notebooks every single evening. No, it was not a bad thing to enjoy, but somewhere along the line, I had put aside my Bible and prayer time. Once I realized this, I knew that my hobby time needed some re-purposing and resetting. That really hit home when I read this:

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

 

After I really took to heart this Bible verse, I realized that “ALL my ways” were not “acknowledging Him.” I realized that I was leaning on “my OWN understanding,” and I didn’t have my “paths straight.” I had to take a step back and refocus how I spent my extra time. How often do we reevaluate our time? I have come to learn that being more mature in faith means being able to look at yourself more openly and pointing out the things that you need to work on. Part of that often is evaluating HOW we spend our time. So what are some ways that we can be intentional about our relationship with God and still have time for the hobbies that we enjoy? Can we re-purpose our hobbies to have more meaning?

 

1. Bible First, Hobbies Second

 

As we go about our days, whether you have a job, stay at home with your kids, or are retired, we all have commitments and things that have to be done. After all of those duties are accomplished, we need to prioritize our time in God’s Word. Some of us might be able to prioritize it better by waking up early in the morning, and some of us might be able to prioritize it better once our kids are in bed. The quality of our study is more important than the quantity. When we accomplish that study FIRST with our extra time, then we can use the rest of our time for the hobbies and enjoyments that we find in life. Before we can “acknowledge Him” in all our ways, we first need to KNOW Him and His Word. 

 

2. Give Your Hobbies a Spiritual Purpose

 

After we have spent quality time with our Creator, we then can work on giving our hobbies a spiritual purpose. Instead of aimlessly going about our hobbies, what if we gave them a spiritual focus WHILE doing them? What if you were outside watering your flowers AND singing praises to God? What if you were having a spa night, but ALSO deep in prayer with God? What if you were listening to a sermon AS you painted? What if you were sewing a quilt for a Church member, WHILE praying for the person that you would give it to? It’s all about intentionally choosing something spiritual to do while engaging in the hobby you enjoy. Wouldn’t that bring so much more enjoyment to your hobby, if you were working on your relationship with Christ at the same time? Will we let “ALL [our] ways acknowledge Him,” even in our hobbies?

 

3. Serve through Your Hobbies

Now that we are working on re-purposing our hobbies to have a spiritual focus, we can now look at taking it a step further. What about finding ways to take the skills that we already have and using them to grow the Kingdom? Wouldn’t that be an amazing feeling, to be able to use the skills that God gave us to grow the Church? How can we turn our skill at baking bread into something that can grow the Church? This is where you might want to get creative or reach out to someone at your congregation. Tell them the skills that you have already and ask for ideas on how to use them to bring glory to God. Ask a friend or your spouse! More times than not, others know us better than we know ourselves. Now is the time to no longer “lean on your own understanding,” but to put all your “trust in in the Lord,” and to “acknowledge him”  in every aspect of our lives. We need to give God our time and our skills because only “He will make your paths straight.” Now is the perfect time to work on re-purposing our skills for the growth of our local Churches. When we give God our ALL, He will surprise us with how much He can do through our trust in Him.

 

by Katie Bell