A Life of Service = A Life of Freedom

When Your Hobbies Begin To Change.

Introduction

About 2 years ago, I met a young man at the gym and we had a conversation that stuck with me ever since. I was on the lat pulldown machine and he came over to show me the right form while doing the exercise. From that brief encounter we went on to have a conversation about what we got up to in our personal lives. The one thing we had in common was that we both came to the gym every day, however, he couldn’t seem to fathom what I did in my free time when I wasn’t working or working out. The shock came when I told him that I didn’t smoke weed and I barely drank alcohol; but instead I spent most of my free time learning, reading books, listening to podcasts and watching youtube videos. He exclaimed that “it is impossible for a man with responsibilities to survive in Lagos without drugs and alcohol, the stress is too much!” I felt every word he said because for most of my life the solution to my burdens took up the form of the very things he claimed were impossible to live without. We both shared the common experience of the stressful problems we had to deal with in our lives; but we had polarising solutions. Why was this the case?

Not too long before I had this conversation, I got to the point of no return. This was a point in my life where I became fed up with my methods of survival in a world filled with problems. The drugs and alcohol didn’t provide long lasting solutions, they were simply avenues of escape. However, what led me to my new found hobbies, that seemed almost impossible to attain, was a supernatural change of heart (Ezekiel 36:26). I cried out to God in my weakness and overtime he has been changing the desires of my heart. What I learnt from this was that God had a role to play in the development of my “strange” hobbies whether I realised it or not. Our conversation proved that there was a common understanding towards the stressful problems we faced as men, but a misunderstanding towards our antidotes to pain in the form of leisure. My intention through this letter is to defeat the misconception of “balance” when it comes to your well-being. The lie that points you to a hobby that masks itself as an escape in order to bring balance in the form of pleasure to your days.

The Deceiving Theory of Balance.

Balance: an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.

When it comes to life, your hobbies are designed to bring you balance. Activities that keep you from falling, keeping you upright and steady. For many people (including myself for most of my life) balance is found through escapism. A stressful week at work is evened out by getting completely smashed on the weekend. A personal problem can be alleviated through smoking and getting high. Sooner or later this way of living becomes your only way of survival because the problems never go away and they always need to be attended to. However the bigger issue lies in the fact that our idea of leisure through escapism always leads to the demise of something in your life. Therefore it is important to understand what is killing you in order to understand what gives you life. The man I met at the gym saw his lifestyle as a means of survival (life-giving) even though the evidence around his hobbies eluded to negative outcomes. In the same light, many people are trapped in cycles of deceit when it comes to understanding the theory of balance. If balance is designed to keep you upright and steady then the components of your lifestyle should back up these claims evidently:

• Overeating should improve your body mass index. Yet it leads to obesity.

• Drinking should improve your physical and mental health. Yet it leads to liver disease, depression and high rates of physical and verbal abuse.

• Smoking weed should have long lasting positive effects on your mind. Yet it is linked to higher rates of anxiety, paranoia and distorted judgement.

I could go on about several hobbies and activities that all follow the same pattern. Most people know the consequences yet still turn a blind eye to them. If this happens to be you, then you have bought a fake product. The outer packaging sells life and freedom but the inner content contains bondage and decay. Therefore what you think is helping you to survive is actually slowly taking your life away from you.

True Freedom and the Alignment of Leisure.

Your hobbies are designed to bring you through life, not take you away from it. If you desperately need to escape life in order to survive then you need to meet with its source for sustenance. God is not found in the absence of leisure. True leisure is found in the presence of God. You are doing yourself a disservice if you compartmentalise the source of life and segregate your hobbies from his presence. This is why the evidence of true freedom can be found through the alignment of leisure. God is purposeful and he designed you with a purpose. Your purpose requires sacrifice but it also comes with the re-alignment of your desires. It was never my will to find pleasure in learning about human behaviour, loving fitness, or even writing to you. But as I am writing this letter I am currently enjoying a new “hobby” in my “free time”. This is a long shot away from the man who couldn’t wait to get drunk and party from weekday to weekend. In hindsight my desire for freedom was actually an addiction to bondage and the shackles of my bondage were only broken when I yielded to the source of life.

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself”

Galatians 5:13-14

When you are addicted to a survival mechanism you are not living in freedom. True freedom is found through the giver of life and the giver of your life’s purpose. This verse commands you to a life of service and that is the true purpose behind the freedom you are called to live in. This is the essence of true freedom in the absence of deceit. However the corrupted notion of freedom suggests that a life of service is a life of bondage and a life of sin is a life of freedom. Unfortunately, many people have bought this lie, and are now addicted to unhealthy solutions to the problems of life.

A Life Of Service = A Life of Freedom

The key principle to take away from this is that Jesus calls you to a life of service. A life of service is sacrifice but sacrifice in the form of eradicating the habits, hobbies and behaviours that are detrimental to your growth. These desires cannot be changed from your own strength but rather it is a fruit that grows within you through surrendering to the goodness & the power of God. Even the science and data supports what is said in the word. According to neuroscientists at the National Institutes of Health, several studies conducted (read here) suggest that the human brain is hardwired to serve! Paul makes the connection between freedom and the law by referencing Jesus’s command to love your neighbour as yourself as a summary of the whole law. The Bible also states that the law is written on your hearts. Therefore you have an intrinsic understanding of where true freedom is found; through a life of service. Submitting to this understanding will ultimately have an effect on every part of your life - including your hobbies! Your activities around leisure will somehow have roots in serving others as opposed to serving yourself. Overall, i’d like to leave you with a few questions to think about or answer if you’d like to:

• What or who is leading you to a life of escapism?

• Are your hobbies detrimental to your overall well being?

• Do you believe that a life of service can be enjoyable?

• Why is freedom usually pursued outside of the presence of God?

Thank you for reading and have a great day.