Healthy Activities Lead to Life More Abundant

Healthy activities are like food for the soul, and the rest of your life will fall into place once you conquer bad choices.

I don’t mean eating right and exercising when I say healthy, though those are important habits. Healthy in this context means activities and habits that positively affect your life.

But you have to find what’s right for you. Not everything you do will fit your particular situation.

To go with an exercise example, while some people make amazing progress with weights, my body responds best to calisthenics, and muscle growth happens better for me without weights. It’s weird, but it’s true.

I was heavily into bodybuilding a decade ago, and that’s when I found this out about myself.

It’s not that the other method isn’t effective–it’s about being intentional with what works.

Many young men and men today give up on improving themselves completely.

Instead of reaching goals (I get it, some things are hard) they resign themselves to only watching football or television, or even playing video games to an extreme degree.

I’m not one of those people who judge other people’s hobbies. I think we are free to express our interests in what we like, and nobody should shame us for them. That’s actually disgusting behavior, so that’s not what I’m aiming to do here.

If you like football, have at it. That’s a hobby many people have.

Some people are fanatics, and as long as it doesn’t impact the important avenues of life, have your fantasy football team or watch the game.

It’s a healthy hobby if we keep our priorities straight.

On the flip side of things, there are certain hobbies that some snooty people look down on, but I’m not here to tell you to stop them.
I don’t find people watching anime childish in the same way I don’t think games are inherently childish. Some of the best stories ever told are in those mediums, and sometimes I wish the written word could do something like that, but I work with the limitations that medium brings to the best of my ability.

But it’s when these things creep into our important life aspects that things go haywire. If you want to unwind by playing Call of Duty: Same Game Every Time, more power to you.

But if the baby’s diaper isn’t being changed and you’re not helping out around the house, what’s more important?

Keep these things in balance.

Imagine how far you’d get in skilled craftsmanship if you started woodworking instead of dazing off into something questionable like pornography.

In these cases, I’d say there are healthier alternatives.

I’m certainly no prude, and I often teach that Christians go way overboard on sexuality and erotic expression, but that stuff isn’t real intimacy.

Resigning yourself to that instead of seeking a real woman to connect with isn’t healthy. It’s a made-up fantasy that abuses the self and an industry that has a severe dark side to it.

Wouldn’t dating someone wonderful (asking God to send you someone) be far more amazing than empty moments of self-indulgence?

While I don’t think gaming is inherently bad either, playing Guitar Hero isn’t as in-depth as playing an actual guitar, piano, drums, etc.

Healthy activities engage us in unique and creative ways–seeking our mastery over ourselves and the world around us, especially for men.

There is nothing in the Bible that says not to improve yourself. I’d argue faith is all about seeing ourselves coming closer to an intimate relationship with the God of the Universe. Sin cannot stand before a holy God, so we must endeavor to purge it out of ourselves. When I say sin, I don’t mean some ridiculous idea that Christian churches make up–I mean what the Bible defines as sinful. Which is found within the Five Books of Moses. Everything else after that is commentary and history, but also inspired by God.

Instead of ruining your brains’ reward centers with youthful lusts, perhaps take that bold step and ask her on a date.

Instead of getting a high score in a guitar game with a few buttons (not saying don’t play games), learn the notes and chords on your instrument of choice.

Healthy activities are inherently rewarding.

If you have creative sparks, learn to write well, paint, or even receive commissions on art from Skeb.

If you drink a little too much, maybe cut back and get a pleasant buzz instead of getting s***-faced drunk.

There are so many ways to improve ourselves and seek healthy things to do.

I am not saying don’t have your hobbies, but I am saying improve your set-apart walk with Christ with the best version of yourself that you can be.

At the end of this life, do you want to meet the person you could have been at the Judgment Seat of Christ?

You’d rather hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” wouldn’t you?

Creating something is far more fulfilling than being a consumer, not that enjoying the creations of others is negative in any way.

Choose life in this world, and you will give life to others.

Accept positive activities, and your life will be filled, and others will also be filled by you.

But I think more than anything, find those things that speak to your heart as saying, “This is the right way to go, walk in it.”

May you be blessed as you love yourself enough to choose the activities of light.

Shalom.