The Theology of Leisure

Sunday afternoon as I was cleaning up from lunch I had a hankering to listen to...something. Ever since we subscribed to high speed internet I've been enjoying the virtually endless choices of radio shows to listen to whenever it's convenient (except Rush Limbaugh...you have to pay to listen to his show on the internet, and while I think his radio show is entertaining and thought provoking, no way will I pay for the privilege of hearing his opinions.)

I especially make use of internet listening in the mornings as I'm working out. I've done my aerobics video often enough that I don't need to listen to Denise Austen's instructions and encouragements ("Shape that rear end...it's the last thing that leaves the room!") And the half hour goes by much more quickly when something else is helping me think about interesting topics unrelated to exercise.

Some of my favorite "listens":
Living on the Edge - Chip Ingram
The Dave Ramsey Show
Let my People Think - Ravi Zacharias
Focus on the Family - Dr. James Dobson

But on Sunday afternoon none of those ones appealed to me. I'd stumbled onto snippets of "The View" on the ABC website the day before, and I was more in the mood for tart, opinionated discussions. But I hesitated to turn it on, because the topics those ladies had covered were just... trite at best, unnecessarily crass and profane at worst. Then I thought of my beloved English and literature professor from Moody Bible Institute, Dr. de Rosset.

Months ago I googled "Dr. Rosalie de Rosset" because I just missed her and all her tart opinions but especially how she stretched my thinking and inspired me to go beyond my easy and comfortable reads and spend my reading time in great novels and classics, deepening my understanding and enlarging my perspectives.

I decided to go back and listen to one of her lectures that I'd found available online. And when I googled her name this time I found one I hadn't seen before. The Theology of Leisure, a discussion on Moody Broadcasting Network's "Midday Connection".

I thought it was ironic that on a Sunday afternoon, my "day of rest" in which I was trying to decide what to fill my time with, I came across a discussion of the right way to fill leisure time. I'm so glad I didn't turn to "The View".

While Dr. de Rosset goes on a small tirade about technology, I know it must come from personal experience. An imbalance that makes a person realize that the internet and e-mailing and blogging have certain addictive qualities, and anything out of balance decreases a person's quality of life. Especially when that addiction or compulsion pulls you away from God's amazing creation and interaction face to face with people He's put in your life. So while I've been discovering the wonder that is the world wide web for the past 6 months or so (in depth, I mean. I'd been on-line before. Just not nearly as often when it took 20 minutes to load my e-mail. No, I didn't do much surfing then.) I've also become acquainted with how easy it is to spend too much time delving for information at the expense of the happy moments spent reading to a hazel eyed, thoughtful lover of books and rolling on the floor with his chubby laughing blue eyed with blond curls younger brother.

Here's to thoughtful, intentional uses of leisure time.