16 Oct Useful Hobbies?

The dictionary meaning of the word “hobby” is “leisure activity or pastime engaged in for interest or recreation.”. Pursuit of a hobby therefore involves an activity done in the leisure time, in which a person’s interests are exhibited or in which the person gets a time of relaxation of the body and mind. Thus, when you are in a situation where you have leisure time without any pressure from your normal activities, both at home or on duty, and at the same time, your body and mind are not tired so as to allow you to engage yourself in some activity, then you are said to use the leisure time in a hobby.
Obviously, it is best to spend time in a hobby which can result in some useful output. If your hobby is gardening, you will get some yield in the form of vegetables or fruits after some time. If your hobby is writing, you can produce some useful literature and share your thoughts with others. Reading is another useful hobby where you can increase your knowledge and become wise. Thus, when you spend your time in a hobby, you need not be accused of wasting your time. On the other hand, you will be acting according to the scripture. Writing to the Ephesian church, Paul says thus “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Eph. 5:16). As a believer, you cannot waste your time. You cannot stand in street corners with other friends and gossip for hours together, thereby not only wasting precious time but also but also indulge in idle talks which often lead to sin. One of the temptations for students is to sit and gossip over a cup of coffee in a canteen of the hostel. Instead, you should spend such times in your hobby usefully.

This brings us to the need for developing a hobby suitable to your liking, in the course of your life. You should identify such a hobby and carefully increase your interest therein in any stage in your life. If you do this in your younger age, it will be of great use to you when you become old and find yourself with lots of time at hand. As it is difficult to develop a hobby in your old age, it is better to do it earlier in life itself.
Scientists tell us that we age much faster than we normally do, if we remain inactive in your old age and allow time to hang on you. If you had already developed a hobby, you can keep yourself occupied which will enable you to age slower. At the same time, what you produce as a result of your hobby will be useful to others too.

Above all, the word of God exhorts us thus “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col.3:17.).

Fredric Dawson is a Civil Engineer by profession, having graduated from the college of Engineering, Guindy (Presently Anna University). He was a member of Madras EU in 1953-54 and has been associated with UESI in many places like Nagpur, Calcutta, Delhi & Chennai