Chasing down every temporary high

There’s no denying the fact that I am a huge nerd.

To everything from sports, TV and movies, to music, video games and Internet surfing, if it’s geeky, I’ve tried it.

Growing up, it was very rare to not find my brother, Jordan, and me in front of a TV playing Nintendo. We spent many hours a day playing games like Super Mario or Zelda. Twenty years later, not much has changed. Whenever we get together for Christmas or other holidays, there will be some point where we play his new Nintendo Wii or dust off the old Nintendo for nostalgia.

Other geeky hobbies I enjoy are movies and sports. Luckily, these are two things I can enjoy with my wife, Carmen, who is also a big sports and movies fan.

If you pricked our fingers, we would both bleed blue. Carmen and I have only been to one live game together, but we never miss watching the Kentucky Wildcats on TV or listening to them on the radio. And in between games, we listen to Matt Jones and the gang talk about the Cats on Kentucky Sports Radio.

We also love to watch movies together. Occasionally, we make our way to the Tri-County Cineplex to check out some of the big blockbusters. But most of the time we’re watching from our own DVD collection — which is stacked a mile high — or we tune in the AMC channel which always seems to be playing movies we know word-for-word.

Then there’s my iPhone I got for Christmas back in 2010. Sometimes you would think that thing is stapled to my hand. I’m always looking at it checking my Facebook, Twitter and email, or playing games like Angry Birds or Words with Friends. As sad as it is to admit, I’ve almost forgotten what it was like not having an iPhone.

And to finally put a stamp on how big of a nerd I am, it has now become an annual tradition getting together with my friends Brody, Blake, Frankie and Jay to watch the WWE WrestleMania pay-per-view at Brody’s house.

But what happens to video games? They get boring after a while and collect dust in your closet.

What happens to iPhones? They tear up or become obsolete when the new gadget comes out.

It’s a similar story with sports and WrestleMania. Watching the Wildcats is fun but they only play for a few months out of the year. And WrestleMania is just four hours out of the year.

There was a song that came out about 10 years ago by contemporary Christian artist Stacie Orrico. It was called “More to Life” and it was about how we have all the nice things this world has to offer but we still spend our time moving on to the next thing and “chasing down every temporary high to satisfy...”

That song is always a good reminder of how all of these gadgets like iPhones and video games can bring you fun and happiness for a little while, but only knowing the Lord and spending time with him daily can truly bring you joy.

And that joy you find with the Lord doesn’t get old or dusty. It is everlasting and more wonderful than Mario rescuing Princess Toadstool, or the Wildcats winning a championship.

Psalms 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

We will all have our hobbies and interests in this world. It could be sports and movies, or maybe other activities like fishing, hunting, painting, reading or writing. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying those pleasures, and God will make time for you to enjoy all of them. Just make sure you place your relationship with Him above everything else.

When you keep Him there, you will forever have more joy and happiness than any geeky hobby can bring you.