Bob was a pastor in the upper Midwest. Growing up in Wisconsin, he’d been raised fishing and hunting all year long. Every season was a season to be outdoors pursuing game. Yet, like many Cheeseheads, deer season was a special time. When deer season opens, it’s fairly common for Wisconsin schools to close. It’s pragmatic, really, because most of those kids will be out in the woods with Dad. Now that he was a Pastor, that pattern continued in Bob’s life. It became a running joke in the church that, once deer season opened, Bob was nowhere to be found. He’d be out in the woods, every day, until he filled his tag for the year. Bob was addicted to hunting. Bob had an acceptable addiction.            Addictions are awful. They control and destroy lives. As a society, we’ve traditionally taken strong stances against drug addiction, alcoholism, and even pornography addictions. Yet, like Bob, we are pretty good at turning healthy pursuits into dangerous addiction. I call these ‘acceptable addictions,’ those addictions that control our time and thinking. They are acceptable because they center upon perfectly good behaviors. They are addictions because we allow them to control us.  They are dangerous because they are innocuous. If we aren’t careful, we quickly fall into such traps.

So, what are these acceptable addictions? Well, nearly anything which consumes or controls us can become an addiction. A passing interest in the Broncos becomes an addiction when I am compelled to watch every game. A positive interest in reading becomes a dangerous addiction when books replace people. An interest in politics is helpful, until political concerns determine my mood.  Each of these may be perfectly acceptable by themselves, but we don’t think twice about whether or not they have become addictions.

The difference between a hobby and an addiction is simple: what controls me? In 1 Corinthians 6:12, we read, ‘“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything,’ (ESV). While Paul is writing about sexual immorality, the principle of domination is important. Anything that dominates us controls us. Anything that controls us is an addiction.

So, how can we be wary of letting our hobbies and pastimes turn into addictions? By occasionally considering the following points.

First, we consider our priorities. Does the way I pursue my hobby reflect Christ’s priorities (God, others, myself—in that order)? If I put my hobby before God and others, I am putting myself first. In that case, my hobby is likely to be an addiction.

Second, we consider our time. How does the time spent on Christ’s priorities (such as worship, prayer, bible reading, service) compare with time I spend on my hobby? When my hobbies consume more of my time than God or others, my hobby is likely an addiction.

Third, we consider our thinking. What do I think about when I am free to think about anything? Our minds naturally wander, and when they do what they wander to says something. If my mind is always wandering to hobbies and rarely to Christ, my hobby is likely an addiction.

Fourth, we consider our heroes. Who are the people we admire and talk about? If I’m more apt to bring up Jake Arrieta or Tom Cruise than Christ, my hobby is likely an addiction.

Fifth, we consider our learning. What do I want to learn about? If I invest more time and energy in learning a favorite hobby than I invest in learning about Christ, my hobby is likely an addiction.

Finally, we consider our, “No’s.” What do I say, “No,” to? Why do I say, “no?” If I am saying, “No,” to pursue a hobby instead of saying, “No,” to pursue Christ, my hobby is likely an addiction.

You might have noticed that there really is not a hard and fast rule. One can enjoy sports, travel, entertainment, and many other enjoyments while never sinning. The real question is one of balance: what takes up more of my time, and what am I most interested in? Wherever the answer isn’t Christ, we are wise to step back and consider if we’ve become addicted.

Addictions we accept:

1. Sports fanaticism
2. Food
3. Travel/Leisure
4. TV/Movies/Entertainment consumption
5. Politics

Questions to consider:

1. Look at my priorities—what comes first on my scale: Christ or my amusement?

Christ’s priorities: Christ, Others, Myself

2. Look at my calendar—what is the ratio of time spent with each?
3. Look at my reasons for saying, “No.”
4. Look at how often I’m saying, “No.”
5. Look at my thinking. What do I think about, when I am free to think about anything?
6. Look at my questions. What do I wonder about?
7. Look at my learning. What am I learning about? What do I want to learn about?
8. Look at my heroes. Who do I talk about?