Day 35: Fanatical Towards What? Or Who?

Walking through Wal Mart this evening this rack of shoes caught my eye. If you can’t quite make it out, these are University of Kentucky shoes. A couple of different kinds, slip on and high-tops/ Chuck Taylor type shows. They are actually fairly neat looking, but not my style.

But, being from Kentucky, where the basketball fans bleed blue, these will probably not last long. The basketball fans can get really wacky sometimes and these shoes will definitely fit the bill for their wackiness.

The term “fan” is short for fanatic, which according to the World English Dictionary, fanatic is defined as: “a person whose enthusiasm or zeal for something is extreme or beyond normal limits” – So then that leads to a question, “What are normal limits?” I can guarantee a normal basketball fan in Kentucky is different than a basketball fan anywhere else.

I just wonder how people get so caught up in a sport, a celebrity, author, team or anything else. I have often heard that it is humanities way to try and fill the “God shaped hole in their heart”. I guess that is kind of correct, to a point. We all know we don’t have “God shaped holes in our hearts”, but we do have a built in need for God, to worship God in truth and righteousness. When we, as humans, get so caught up in the gifts of the Giver, we then become fanatics for the wrong thing. Instead of God being glorified, His creation is.

Now, back to the “normal” limits definition. What exactly would be normal to a believer in God? I don’t think we really know in our culture these days. Normal Christianity as defined by scripture is not very common today and just the striving to have that normal Christianity we are labeled as fanatics. So, I guess in one sense being called a “fanatical Christian” is actually not a put down but a praise that God has brought us to a state that people will actually see a difference in a true believer than they do the other 90% of professing Christians.

I would just caution you to watch your level of devotion to earthly things, like UK Basketball. There is nothing wrong with liking the created things of God, just do not elevate them above the Creator. Remember 1 Cor. 10:31 and do all things to the glory of God. How excited do you get about the things of God compared to your choice sport? How about going to church vs. watching your favorite TV program? Does one bore you to tears and the other make your heart race thinking about the next episode? Do you make plans around the next ball game, but yet not even wake up in time to get to Sunday morning service on time? Can you name every NFL, NBA, MLB or NASCAR team and not remember the 10 Commandments? Can you sing along to every song on the radio, but the only scriptures you have memorized John 3:16 and John 11:35? Then I suggest that you do some God centered, soul searching, self-examination into where your fanaticism is focused. 2 Cor. 13:5

The good news in this? That you can take it to the cross and leave whatever idols you may have. That God has already forgiven you, if you are His child. But, take it to Him, so that He may be glorified in your life and your devotions.