I don’t know if any of you share my struggle! I have been addicted since around the age of 12. It has been a constant nagging, filling a need, a source of pleasure and pain – football management pc gaming! (Yes porn neatly went alongside it but that is not the topic of today’s post)

I think many of you can relate to being or knowing someone who has been addicted to gaming.

I watched yesterday (my first full day of paternity leave) a hilarious documentary of Football Manager – the game that absorbed my teenage years. It brought back fond memories, even filling a need and craving that must still be to a degree their after years of being mostly clean! Over the last 7 years of married life I have not cheated long term on my wife with this game, their had been the occasional fling but repentance was quick.

Yesterday I was one click away from downloading the game on my phone. I’d thought it out in my head, I have a lot of extra time these 2 weeks, there will be time during paternity when I’m up with my wife in the night – so I’ll have something to do.

But, I know that if I opened that door it would be consuming – it always is. I would struggle to find time to take my 2 year old daughter swimming every day, struggle to read an hour a day, struggle to spend time on this blog and a future business plan. And worse of all would be disengaged to my wife and family when they need me fully the most.

So I’ve learnt that this time with a new baby is precious its vital I can’t get distracted and more than that I need a plan. So now I have a list of 5 or 6 fruitful things I want to achieve each day – none of them being comfort to my flesh.

Challenge:

Are you compromising entertainment for your family?

Are you going easy on your flesh in this area?

Are you achieving all you can in this season?

Final thought:

Christ calls us to pick up our cross daily, not give in to the flesh and comfort.