It only takes a few minutes of gazing at our world from a mountain top experience with God to realize that we as a human race are struggling to stay grounded. Without fail, casualty after casualty succumbs to an obsession. I think it is safe to say that America is a culture of obsession. It is probably even safer to say that, as humans, we are looking for something to obsess over. For some, an obsession may seem as simple as finding love, yet for most, the issue with obsession runs much deeper than we are willing to admit. Right off the bat, the word “obsession” most likely has negative connotations in our mind’s eye. We desire balance in our lives, but  seldom do we really like to admit that we just might be too passionate about something. Even if we do admit to some fetish, we find ourselves justifying why we have every right to continue obsessing over it.

Webster’s Dictionary defines the verb “obsess” as the following: to haunt or excessively preoccupy the mind of.

Recently I had a conversation with someone about Justin Bieber…and no, I was not living vicariously as a middle school girl daydreaming about our future marriage! What struck me about our conversation was the simple fact that people become so obsessed over celebrities that they become enamored with every detail of their lives. The person I was conversing with pointed out an article he was reading and said, “Does the media not have anything better to do than to stalk young teens to find out about their dating lives?” We are a culture obsessing over the American dream of fame, fortune, and comfort. Romans 12:1-2 says the following:

“I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The reason so many people become enamored over the silliest of things is because they are looking for something to be passionate about. The problem is not with obsession itself, rather with what we are obsessing over. We are meant to live passionate lives loving God, living for God, and bringing honor and glory to His name. This is a healthy obsession…a passion that we are supposed to live out. Too often we find ourselves looking like the world because of the fact that we are thinking (obsessing) over what the world has to offer. We are not meant to be preoccupied with the cares of this world, and yet we so often miss the mark and refuse to keep our gaze on the Giver of Life. We then trade in real joy, peace, and contentment for the temporary. We can so easily become another casuality of negative obsessions..of sin. We must learn to distinguish what it is we are dwelling on, and how it is impacting our lives positively. It is when we examine our lifestyle habits and how we fill our time that we find out what type of nucleus our life is really revolving around. We can choose to live life with purpose, or we can spend it obsessing over something that will fade as quickly as the next trend. It is up to us to decide what will really be our magnificent obsession. Life is short enough, why not make it count for things that matter?