Hobbies - are they a good thing? A hobby, by definition, is "an activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure". Are hobbies a good thing or do they serve to siphon off valuable resources in terms of time and money - resources that could or perhaps should be invested else where? Should we be feeding children with the money we spend on our hobbies? Do our hobbies stop us from serving our neighbors like we should. Hmmm.
I have two hobbies that I will admit to. One is the collection of diecast airplanes. It is a rather innocuous hobby. Here is a photo of one. It is an A-10 Thunderbolt. If you could see the tail (or vertical stab for your airplane aficionados) you would see the designation EL which means it is a model painted in the scheme of A-10s which were with the 23rd TFW and stationed at England
Air Force Base. I used to watch these planes straffing at the nearby bombing range. This particular diecast model was a gift - I bear no guilt in owning it. But, I have 91 other diecast models. Some of them were also gifts, but many of them I purchased. Most of mine are fairly inexpensive, especially when compared to the $150 models collectors purchase. I add 2-3 new planes a year, sometimes receiving them as Christmas gifts.
The other hobby is astronomy. (There is a theme here - both require looking up). It can be an expensive hobby. I looked at a telescope advertised on the web today. This is a "personal" telescope mind you. $156,000! My telescopes were not quite that expensive. I own 4, three of them I purchased used. The one new one is the one in the picture.
It is a nice telescope - a 4 inch refractor. Not only do you need the telescope, you also need a mount to put it on, a diagonal which holds the eyepieces, and the eyepieces. Then there are accessories such as cases, finders, red flashlights, books, etc, etc. It would be easy to spend thousands. But, you don't have to spend thousands. It would be hard to be in astronomy and not spend hundreds, however. A decent used scope is $250 - 300. A decent used eyepiece $50 - $75. And on it goes.
Of the two hobbies, the astronomy one takes me away from the family. None of my family really has an interest. They told me that when I am with the Lord, they are liquidating all of my equipment. So, when I am out looking, I am usually alone. I would like to change that and am thinking about starting a club here in Gibson.
Anyway, I would be less than honest if I did not think that at times I should be rid of all of it and give away the money and invest the time else where. But then, there is something about developing more in our lives than simply work. We were, I believe, created to work. But, we were also created to be creative. And, participating in a hobby broadens our world, opens opportunities, increases our knowledge, expands our horizons, and invigorates our imaginations.
So, I guess as long as I feel, to some degree, the tension, as long as I seek to be moderate and am open to abandoning it all should the Lord call me to do so, as long as I hold it all loosely, as long as it does not become a god, does not injure my testimony, does not hijack my faith, does not impede my service - then it can be a good thing. What do you think about hobbies?
I have two hobbies that I will admit to. One is the collection of diecast airplanes. It is a rather innocuous hobby. Here is a photo of one. It is an A-10 Thunderbolt. If you could see the tail (or vertical stab for your airplane aficionados) you would see the designation EL which means it is a model painted in the scheme of A-10s which were with the 23rd TFW and stationed at England
Air Force Base. I used to watch these planes straffing at the nearby bombing range. This particular diecast model was a gift - I bear no guilt in owning it. But, I have 91 other diecast models. Some of them were also gifts, but many of them I purchased. Most of mine are fairly inexpensive, especially when compared to the $150 models collectors purchase. I add 2-3 new planes a year, sometimes receiving them as Christmas gifts.The other hobby is astronomy. (There is a theme here - both require looking up). It can be an expensive hobby. I looked at a telescope advertised on the web today. This is a "personal" telescope mind you. $156,000! My telescopes were not quite that expensive. I own 4, three of them I purchased used. The one new one is the one in the picture.
It is a nice telescope - a 4 inch refractor. Not only do you need the telescope, you also need a mount to put it on, a diagonal which holds the eyepieces, and the eyepieces. Then there are accessories such as cases, finders, red flashlights, books, etc, etc. It would be easy to spend thousands. But, you don't have to spend thousands. It would be hard to be in astronomy and not spend hundreds, however. A decent used scope is $250 - 300. A decent used eyepiece $50 - $75. And on it goes.Of the two hobbies, the astronomy one takes me away from the family. None of my family really has an interest. They told me that when I am with the Lord, they are liquidating all of my equipment. So, when I am out looking, I am usually alone. I would like to change that and am thinking about starting a club here in Gibson.
Anyway, I would be less than honest if I did not think that at times I should be rid of all of it and give away the money and invest the time else where. But then, there is something about developing more in our lives than simply work. We were, I believe, created to work. But, we were also created to be creative. And, participating in a hobby broadens our world, opens opportunities, increases our knowledge, expands our horizons, and invigorates our imaginations.
So, I guess as long as I feel, to some degree, the tension, as long as I seek to be moderate and am open to abandoning it all should the Lord call me to do so, as long as I hold it all loosely, as long as it does not become a god, does not injure my testimony, does not hijack my faith, does not impede my service - then it can be a good thing. What do you think about hobbies?
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