Next, there are four kinds of recreation. A Christian can find recreation in four things:
The best recreation for a Christian is rest. If you are tired, you should take a rest. When the Lord Jesus and His disciples became tired from their work, He told the disciples, “Come by yourselves privately to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). We must realize that the Lord’s rest was a kind of recreation to Him. He did not say to go and rest a while, but to go to a deserted place and rest a while. Often a change in place, a solitary place in the hills or by a river, affords a person the necessary relief from his tiredness. This is the most common recreation for a Christian.
If a person feels tired after doing the same work for too long, he can do something else after a while. Instead of working eight hours at one task, he can spend one or two hours on something else. Perhaps he sits down to work most of the time. He can give himself a break by working in a standing position once in a while. Perhaps he works with his mind most of the time. He can divert himself by doing some physical work. As soon as he does this, his tiredness disappears. We are not after the kind of recreation that the world is after. As long as we have a change in the things we do, we have a means to relieve our fatigue. We can rearrange our lives a little. The principle of recreation is diversion. As long as we have a change in the kind of work we do, we have the necessary break we need.
At the same time, the Christian life has room for some proper hobbies. Some brothers like to take photographs. Others like to keep birds, plant flowers, or paint. These are legitimate hobbies within the bounds of the Christian life. Some like music; they may write some songs and play them on the piano. Some like calligraphy. All of these are proper forms of recreation.
But no matter what kind of recreation it is, whether it be rest, a change in work, or a hobby, it has to be something that a person can pick up and drop at will. If a person cannot drop an activity, something is wrong with it. It is all right for a person to take photographs, study them, and learn a little about them. However, we are against anything that controls a person’s life. The recreation must be easy to pick up and easy to drop. It is all right for a young brother to play the violin. But if he cannot put it down, he has a problem. The trouble with many young believers is that they cannot put their recreation down. When they find that they are bound by these things, they have to deal with them. They have to sever them, or else they will not be able to go on properly as Christians; they will be enslaved. Recreation must be something that one can pick up freely and drop freely. He must not be enslaved by it. This is an underlying principle. We must remember that in order for something to be proper recreation, whether it be a hobby, a change in work, or rest, a person must not be bound by it.
Some young brothers like to collect stamps. There is nothing wrong with stamp-collecting. In fact, there are many benefits to such a hobby. It can teach a person about the geography and history of all the countries in the world, but it is a problem when one becomes ensnared by it. Any recreation that affords proper diversion without putting one under its bondage is a lawful recreation.
Parents must teach their children to have proper recreation. They must not drive their children to improper recreation by failing to provide them with the proper kind. I have seen many strict parents who have ruined their children this way. Their homes are like institutions rather than homes. As a result, the children sneak away from home to engage in improper recreation. We must be clear that children need recreation. We can go with or without entertainment, but our children must have some entertainment. If we deprive them of their right to play, they will be bored and restless at home, and they will sneak away to do things behind our back.