What do you obsess over?
Whether you like it or not, we all have those things we’re overly passionate about. For me, it’s Jesus, writing, sports, and making videos, among other things. How about you?
I’ve heard my fair share of opinions about obsession. Some people are wholeheartedly for it, while others think it’s a danger. So let’s look at this topic more in-depth and see how it relates to our walk with Christ.
What obsession is.
The dictionary defines this word as “a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling”. This appears to paint obsessions in a bad light. Generally, when we use this word, it is with a negative connotation.
What if we use a slightly different term? Fixation. While it is similar, the dictionary defines this as “an obsessive interest in or feeling about someone or something”. Regardless of what word you use, here’s the baseline: an obsession is an intense passion or love of something or someone, sometimes healthy, sometimes not.
What’s the issue with obsession?
As part of being Staff at my church’s camp, we began the summer by writing and then sharing our personal testimonies. Can you guess the theme of my assignment? Yep, obsession. Several years ago, before I started this blog, I was obsessed with some stuff that didn’t glorify God. One of those things was video games.
Now, while there isn’t a problem with most video games themselves (or a variety of other hobbies), there is something wrong with thinking about something to the extent that it pushes all other thoughts from your mind. This is the problem with obsession, regardless of what you obsess over.
Colossians 3:5 (NIV) clearly states, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”
For me, video games had become too much of a driving force. While I didn’t play a ton of video games (my parents are great at setting up boundaries), whenever I wasn’t playing I would think about playing. I knew I couldn’t keep doing this, and evidently, so did God. I had focused on video games to the point where it was an idol.
That summer at camp, things changed. Not only did God remind me Who should come first, but through the act of surrendering my fixation with video games, I both grew closer to God and started my email list – which morphed into WLF. Win-win, I’d say.
Who should come first?
Now don’t hear me saying we shouldn’t be passionate about something. I’m passionate about many things – such as my website and taking photos – and that’s fine. As long as I know their place. As long as I know that God comes first.
Many called Jesus obsessive. He spent three straight years preaching, performing miracles, pulling all-nighters while praying, and travelling. The Disciples were almost as passionate as they spread Jesus’ message. Why don’t I think of this as a dangerous obsession? Because they had their priorities straight. What the Disciples did wasn’t done for their glory. It was for God’s.
Jesus wants us to be passionate, and to “obsess” over the talents He’s given us. However, He also wants us to remember Who gave us those gifts, and Who we’re doing it for. When video games became a stronghold in my life, that wasn’t glorifying God, that was me being selfish with my time. Which is why God reminded me that everything I do should be for His glory.
As 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) says, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
What should we obsess over?
I’m sure you have that thing you’re passionate about, and I pray you’ve found a way to put Jesus at the heart of it. Please remember what I said last week: it’s not about us. As soon as it becomes about me, about what I can do, about my gifts, about my blog, it’s no longer bringing glory to God’s name.
Matthew 6:33 (NIV) declares, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Please don’t hear me saying all obsession is bad, it’s not. As Michael Jordan said, “Obsession is the foundation of success.” Without obsession, it’s very hard to accomplish our goals. Without obsession, Jesus couldn’t have done what He did.
Obsession isn’t objectively bad, but it can be when it becomes subjectively about us. When we make it about what we can do, instead of raising our hands to the One who does everything.
At the end of my summer camp testimony, I summed everything up by saying that you have to obsess over something. Ultimately, if I had made video games – or my blog, or anything else – my source of ultimate fulfillment, it wouldn’t bring glory to God. It’s only when you put Him at the center that you unlock the key to obsession. Without obsession, what purpose is there in life? Without making Jesus the center of that obsession, what ultimate meaning is there to life?
So go ahead, be passionate. No one who ever accomplished anything wasn’t. But first and foremost, ask yourself, are you passionate about Christ? Is He first? Because if Jesus is on your side, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says. It’s a fallacy to believe obsession is only a negative thing, but it’s also a fallacy to think obsession alone is what matters – we need Jesus.
As former English priest William Law put it…
“If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.”
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