WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

 

 

God made you to be attracted to certain topics, and he may even have used your family or environment to assist you in acquiring some of your interests. A hobby might relax you, rejuvenate your spirit, or completely invigorate you. It might keep you in good physical shape, or it may be good mental conditioning for you. It may simply be fun—causing you to be playful—or it may earn you a profit from time to time. No matter what your hobby does for you, why not consider letting God have it to bless his work on earth? His creativity at weaving the gist of your hobby into your church ministry or life mission will amaze you.

 

 

WHAT MAKES YOUR HEART SING?

 

 

What sets you free from the cares and worries of this world? Is it snowboarding, researching, or traveling the world? Is it dog grooming, scrapbooking, sculpting, or painting? What do you get lost in for hours? Is it creating miniature Christmas villages, complete with model trains? Is it judging annual flower competitions or umpiring Little League games? Is it hiking, reading mysteries, or collecting thimbles or stuffed bears? It might be training horses, mountain biking, playing chess, or hunting for bargain antiques. Pay attention to the components of your hobby, to see if any part of it can be used to serve God and others. For example, could you sing jazz concerts at a senior center? Could you prepare a gourmet meal for your pastor’s family? Ronda Rich, one of America’s first female sportswriters, loves to watch God use her refreshing hobby.

 

 

RONDA RICH THANKS GOD FOR HER HOBBY

 

 

Ronda is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author of What Southern Women Know and My Life in the Pits: Living and Learning on the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit. Raised a preacher’s child, she is thrilled to actually have been baptized in a river! She enjoys sharing God’s love and blessings with secular audiences through writing and speaking about life lessons she has learned.

 

 

Ronda’s hobby is to collect memories about unique experiences with her friends. She weaves her reflections into great stories to tell around the dinner table and some even make it into her writing. She says, “God knows that we are driven by our passions, because he created us to be eager to do what we enjoy. The desires of our heart are quite simply God’s way of giving us a compass for the paths he wants us to take. For that, I am so grateful.”

 

 

What Are Your Hobbies? Dorcas Had a Hobby

 

 

Dorcas was a seamstress who discovered that her hobby had become a ministry when she sewed clothes to help the poor and the widows of her town. She was dearly loved for her acts of kindness. Read Acts 9:36–42. Can you imagine one of your hobbies paying such spiritual dividends?

 

 

SCRIPTURE TO PONDER

 

 

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

 

 

SUGGESTED PRAYER

 

 

Dear Lord, I, _________, find delight in knowing you, and I thank you for your promise to give me the desires of my heart. Today I pray that my hobbies will not only give me joy in life but, much more importantly, that they will be a compass for the path you would like me to take. I ask you to turn an enjoyable hobby of mine into a personal contribution, a real opportunity to serve those you want me to serve.

 

 

So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?