There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. – 1 Corinthians 12:5-6 (NIV)
Most people have a hobby or an interest. Whatever it may be, they utilise the talents and gifts they have been given to improve themselves and perhaps others. They also gain pleasure from doing it as well as giving them something to do.
There are others, however, that choose to do nothing with what they have be given or are interested in. Be it down to laziness or some other reason, they prefer to do such things as passively watch TV or doing nothing at all. There may be a stirring of emotions as they think about what they like to do but in the end that is all it is.
God has given us certain gifts and talents to use to further His Kingdom. This also includes our interests and hobbies. You make think that woodworking, knitting, scrapbooking, painting, or anything else you like to do in your leisure time is not meaningful to the Lord and can’t be used to reach others with the gospel. This wrong…God wired these things in you for a reason.
If you like reading, have you ever thought of joining a book club or starting your own reading group? You may be the only Christian that some of your fellow readers may ever come in to contact with. You may be the only person, that they see Jesus in. Being involved with those who have similar interests to you is one of the reasons why God gave you the interest in the first place.
Some interests or hobbies are meant to be done at home, but you should also find a way to connect to others outside of it. Social media and the internet are one way to do it. It helps you to find people with similar interests who live near you but don’t restrict it to just online. We need to get out and make connections with others. Staying at home by ourselves will not grow us or our hobbies.
As humans, we have a thirst for knowledge and as we get deeper into our hobbies or interests, we want to learn more. Getting together with like-minded individuals helps to find out more. We can learn from their experiences and mistakes and vice versa. They can learn about God from us through the relationships that develop from the mutual interest.
You may be sitting there thinking that you don’t have the time to develop an interest or a hobby. This is another wrong assumption. If you have time to sit down and watch TV or stare aimlessly at computer watching videos or surfing the net, then you do. There are plenty of things you can do while you do things. Women are great at multi-tasking, so finding something to do while you are watching TV shouldn’t be that hard.
If you are having trouble, working out what your interests and hobbies or even finding the time to do it, then pray to God about it. He had put something inside of you that He knows you will like and can do. It is a passion He has given you so that you can reach those who don’t know Him. In the end, you will have a mission that God, you, and others will gain from.
Originally published November 2018