"DO YOU HAVE A DIVERSION?"

Written by rob Bailes


"It's a wise decision!"

I have talked about habits before and how we will do things without thinking, but today I'd like to talk with you about decisions. When I think about the decisions we make, all I have to do is look around me and I see it happening every minute of every day.

People haggling over things they need or maybe just want real bad; juggling schedules to fit in one more deal; making excuses to avoid having to spend time with someone we don't agree with; people discussing decisions that affect the lives of thousands or maybe even millions; people in charge of our lives; people shopping for the right shoes or clothes; scheduling flights and travel for business or to care for a loved one; what to do with an elderly relative to get the care they need; how to invest all that extra money stashed away for the later years; disagreements settled or not; executives deciding how to stay in business and who to lay off; then there's the child trying to find their first job while they are in school.

I see people from all areas, levels and ages making decisions every day. Maybe I'm a little more observant than some people, but the thing I see in most cases is that they are frustrated or stressed, maybe with over loaded schedules and it's become a way of life for so many. The decision to jamb as much pressure and stress into your life is totally your choice and I don't fault you for it. That's fine if that's how you choose to live your life. Personally, I tend to be more laid back and believe that God made me this way. Maybe it was necessary for someone like myself to take the time to observe and write about the things I see and learn from the world that the majority of the population races their way through to the finish line.

There was a king once that lived his life much like this and was very busy, of course! It was this king's frustration and stress that brought him to the place where he had to have some kind of outlet; something that he could do to ease this tension of the many decisions and responsibilities that he carried on his shoulders.

I have come to realize that going shopping with my daughters could sometimes be as, if not more, stressful as making an important decision on a major building project.

You see, something that Saul knew was that the outlet or hobby was what kept him balanced and kept the flesh from taking over. It was the desire of pleasure in our hearts that God gave us in order to maintain a balance in our life. I call it harmony.

When I was a boy, I worked hard and made enough money to have a horse and I used to spend my down time riding my horse and caring for it, but it didn't seem like work. Why? Because it was the thing I looked forward to doing when the work was done and it brought me relaxation and harmony.

As I got older, I found new hobbies, but there came a time when I was being interviewed many years later and the vice president of a very large company out of Atlanta, asked me a question.
He asked me,"What are your hobbies?" and I froze, because I had become stricken with tunnel vision somewhere along the way and had become totally focused on making a living. I told him I liked to deep sea fish and of course he asked me, when was the last time I had gone.
I was embarrassed to say that it had been about three years ago. He told me that I should take time to go more often and he added, "Take your kids".

You see, this man had been there, done that. He knew where it led and he wanted his superintendents to be healthy and balanced when they were out there representing their company. By the way, I got the job and I did go deep sea fishing!

In 1Samuel 16 and Proverbs 31 we can read how men and women have activity in their lives besides their work and chores. Starting in verse eighteen, it talks about how Saul would get really out of control and it was David's hobby of playing music that would bring him under control and give him balance. It was King Saul's hobby of listening to music that relaxed him and gave him balance.

Proverbs 31 shares with us the story of every woman and how the use of her hands bring her blessing, not only from her children, but also from her husband. She has put her hands to work for her own needs, but also reaching out to her family and the needy in her community, going to the merchants tents making purchases that will benefit all that she loves and is involved with in her life.

Pro 31:26-31
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
Pro 31:27 She looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but you excell them all.
30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Can you name at least one area of interest (outside the limits of your calling) which you are presently developing?

Do you experience as much satisfaction in your diversion as you do in your occupation? Maybe more?

Whenever you plunge into your hobby or diversion, is it without guilt or anxiety?

Are you aware that your hobby is as significant to God and to your own happiness as your actual vocation?

If your answer to any of the above is no, you may need to go get out the fishing pole, camera or paintbrush. They will help you forget about the worries in your head as God had planned it to do.

Deepening Your Roots-1Samuel 16:18-23, 2Sam. 22:1, Proverbs 31:1-31

Branching Out
1. Spend at least three hours this week on one of your hobbies or finding one!
2. Start a new hobby that forces you to be with new people.