Young People Ask . . .

What About Hobbies?

HOBBIES bring pleasure. They have been defined as “almost anything a person likes to do in his spare time.” Some youths spend their free time swimming, playing football, or running. Less athletically inclined youths may prefer listening to music, taking long walks, or just sitting at home reading. Yet others like to cultivate talents or collect things. Natalie’s hobby is playing the flute. Her younger sister, Nikki, collects dolls.

Hobbies offer a balance between work and play, preventing boredom during leisure time. They can help you relax. And proper relaxation results in better mental and physical health. Canadian doctor Sir William Osler claimed: “No man is really happy or safe without a hobby,” adding: “It makes precious little difference what the outside interest may be . . . Anything will do so long as he straddles a hobby and rides it hard.” But just as a good rider controls his steed, you should control your hobby rather than allowing your hobby to control you. How?

First of all, you should make sure you have given priority to the more important things in life, such as attending Christian meetings, caring for your household duties, and doing your homework. (Philippians 1:10) Now you can determine how much of your spare time can be hobby time.

Worthwhile Hobbies

Some hobbies help you develop valuable skills, such as needlework, dressmaking, or the pursuit of the culinary arts. True, these hobbies particularly appeal to girls. Nevertheless, there is nothing unmanly about cooking. (Compare John 21:9-12.) You may not reach gourmet standards, but experimenting a bit with cooking can help you develop abilities that may prove invaluable if you must ever fend for yourself. Girls, on the other hand, may benefit from trying their hand at auto mechanics or household repairs.

Another worthwhile pastime is the learning of a language. Young James, for example, currently studies Russian. Perhaps a second language will enable you some day to teach Bible truths to others in a foreign land! Indeed, hobbies can often serve as a means of helping other people.

For example, is gardening your hobby? Why not hone your horticultural skills on a garden that belongs to your grandparents or to some other elderly ones who find it hard to care for it properly? Do you enjoy do-it-yourself work? Then why not offer to help an elderly person or a widow with home repairs? When cooking is your hobby and you have a favorite recipe, why not prepare the dish to present as a gift to someone in need? Remember, “there is more happiness,” Jesus said, “in giving than there is in receiving.”​—Acts 20:35.

A hobby can even help you to advance spiritually. If you like to make models, for example, might not building a miniature ark deepen your appreciation of the strength of Noah’s faith? (See box.) Constructing a model tabernacle or temple may likewise improve your knowledge of the way God’s servants worshiped long ago. In Bible times the shepherd boy David played the harp in his spare time. Later he composed beautiful songs to Jehovah’s praise. Could you learn to play a musical instrument yourself? If so, why not use your talent to praise God by learning some of the melodies in the songbook Sing Praises to Jehovah?a As you play the music, ponder over the sentiments the lyrics convey. Are you a collector? Then gather items that relate to the Bible. Or try filling a scrapbook with pictures of Bible lands.

Count the Cost

However worthwhile a hobby may be, it is often wise to ask yourself, What will it cost? (Luke 14:28) Is the hobby within your budget? This can be especially challenging if collecting is your pastime, whether it be postage stamps, antiques, or even dolls!

Remember, how you use your resources can even affect your prospects of gaining everlasting life. Jesus said: “Make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous riches [your money], so that, when such fail, they [Jehovah God and Jesus Christ] may receive you into the everlasting dwelling places.” (Luke 16:9) Will a hobby cost you so much money that you won’t have any left over to “honor Jehovah with your valuable things”? (Proverbs 3:9) Will financing a hobby require you to take on part-time work, perhaps at the expense of spiritual activities?

Keep Your Balance!

At times serious hobbyists crave to be with others who enjoy the same pursuit. This can pose a number of dangers, however. Ask yourself: Will such association be upbuilding? Could their standards of dress and grooming, their choice of entertainment, or their conversation have a bad influence on you? Might you find yourself drawn more to their company than to that of your own family or Christian associates? In any event, do you allow mutual interests to lead you into unwholesome friendships? Remember, “bad associations spoil useful habits.”​—1 Corinthians 15:33.

Another point of concern: What kind of attitude does your hobby encourage? Does it stir up an unhealthy spirit of competition? Does it involve extreme health risks? If so, perhaps it would be well for you to keep in mind the words of the apostle Paul: “For bodily training is beneficial for a little; but godly devotion is beneficial for all things.”​—1 Timothy 4:8; Galatians 5:26.

On the other hand, Solomon said: “For everything there is an appointed time, even a time for every affair under the heavens.” And that includes “a time to laugh.” Yes, hobbies and recreation have their place. Be sure, though, that a hobby does not so absorb your interest that you neglect Solomon’s further words: “Fear the true God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole obligation of man.”​—Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4; 12:13.

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 22]

I Built Noah’s Ark!

I enjoy working with my hands. And when one day I had the urge to learn more about Noah’s ark, I decided to make a scale model of it.

I began by carefully studying the Bible account at Genesis 6:14-16 with the help of research aids published by the Watch Tower Society. I soon realized that the ark was not at all like a modern-day ocean liner. Rather, it was just a huge box: 300 by 50 by 30 cubits. That converts to 437 feet 6 inches [133.5 m] long, 72 feet 11 inches [22.3 m] wide, and 43 feet 9 inches [13.4 m] high. The ark was thus 146 yards [134 m] long​—almost half again as long as a U.S. football field. Even such a colossal structure could not accommodate the over one million species of animals scientists say exist. However, I learned that some investigators believe that just 43 “kinds” of mammals, 74 “kinds” of birds, and 10 “kinds” of reptiles could have produced the great variety of species that exist today.

My research also helped me appreciate the enormity of Noah’s task: cutting down trees without power saws, hauling logs to the construction site without tractors, lifting heavy roof beams without cranes. My job was simple compared to Noah’s! To obtain “wood,” I simply broke off some bundles of dry weed stems. My “animals” were made out of clay. As for the layout of the interior, I had to do some guesswork. I figured that Noah and his family would probably have chosen to live on the top story, where they would have enjoyed the most light and ventilation. I put the animals on the lower stories of the ark.

After many hours of labor, my model was finished. As impressive as some have said it looks, the real ark was a hundred times longer, wider, and higher than my model. In other words, it would take a million of my models to equal the capacity of the original ark. Not surprisingly, then, my project has whetted my appetite to find out more about the real ark. And if I am privileged to live to see God’s new world and witness the resurrection of the dead, perhaps I’ll be able to solicit Noah’s help in making a new model​—one that will be correct in every detail.​—Contributed.

[Pictures on page 23]

Does your hobby give pleasure to both you and others?

Collecting pictures of Bible lands can help you visualize Scriptural events