Back in March, I went through a crisis of gaming. (You can read about that here: Accomplishments and Achievements) And then when I thought it was over… I realized I had only scratched the surface.
(I didn’t want to seem like I’m directly attacking the game so I blocked it out.) I had one game left that I was obsessed with. I thought I had it under control until I saw this. I knew I had a problem. And instead of recognizing I needed to deal with it NOW, I asked God for a sign that I needed to stop. And even in my weakness, He did provide that. The next part of the game, in the plot of the storyline, was something the Bible specifically stated was wrong. There were other questionable things before that which I should have known were red flags, but I really didn’t want to stop so I ignored them. I knew then that I HAD to stop. So I did. And this week:
It’s still higher than I’d like, but it’s much better than it was. π
Right before this, a few weeks ago, I tried to turn on my old gaming laptop and discovered that it was dead. I cried over that one. It hurt. My dad and I will probably look at it at some point, but as of now, I think I’m okay with not being able to access it. If I hadn’t backed up my photos and files (meaning all the novels I’ve ever written) THEN I would be still panicked and super sad. But as it is, this basically means I can’t play Oregon Trail or Heroes Might and Magic IV., and I can’t use PhotoImpression 1999, which is what I used to edit some photos. (Now playing with Picasa and Canva to do what I used to do for photo editing.)
I realized how connected to these things I was and I didn’t want them to become idols. So I distanced myself from them. Giving up the game hurt, especially for the first few days. But the laptop, after the initial shock, didn’t hurt as much. So I think I’ll be fine with restoring it soon without too much worry. (Long as I don’t play Oregon trail for five or six hours afterward. I adore that game and as long as I’m responsible with time, I’m fine with a round or two of it. Nothing bad in it. And it’s actually quite educational. “Oh no you got bit by a snake!” “Oh no you ate a poisonous plant!” “You caught 1000 pounds of fish!” “Oh no you nearly drowned in the river!” “The wagon dumped in the river and you lost supplies!” “An ox stepped in a hole!” “Oh no you just got mauled by a bear!” I need to stop now, I could gush about this game for too long. XD)
I have another part to this coming out soon, titled Warning Signs. π See you later! β€
You are wise beyond your years. I enjoy reading your posts.
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Thank you! β€
π
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I agree. We have to be responsible with how we play games. I’ve been trying to be responsible with time as well for I waste too much of it. Great post, Grace, and I look forward to the next part. May God continue to bless you.
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Yes, same here! I waste a lot of time too and Iβm trying to be more responsible with it. π
Thank you! π It will be coming soonish I think. π
May God continue to bless you as well. π
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I have to try harder on this end. Every day when I wake up, I’m excited and pumped to have a productive day and then it all go to waste and before I know it, it’s night.
You’re welcome. Ah, whenever the time is right. π
Thank you, my friend. Take care. π
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Aww. Haha Iβm a little opposite. I have a hard time getting out of bed and before I know it, Iβve wasted hours on YouTube in bed when I need to be productive. And then I try to cram everything into the remaining hours.
Today, the time was right, haha! π
Blessings! π
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Boy, do YouTube ever used to distract me a lot back then! And if I am being honest, it still does sometimes.
Well, I hope today is a productive one for you, my friend. Thank you and may God continue to bless you. π
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Same here, which is why I put an hour YouTube limit on my iPod. I rarely reach it but I did today, haha. π
Thank you! Iβm doing better with being productive, unless Iβm really tired. π And I hope today was productive for you. π
Blessings! π
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That’s good! I don’t watch YouTube on the weekends (just one or two new videos) so it tends to back up during the week. I just sort out the really important ones.
Nice! I’ve certainly been productive lately so bless God for that. Take care. π
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I need to have that much self control. π Thatβs great. π
Glad to hear it! π You take care too! π
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ππ
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Great post and thanks for sharing with us with this update in your life. There are good games. But in everything there comes limitation. Hence the reason why we mustn’t abuse our time that God gave to us for “just” a short time on this earth for his will to be done. May we all become wise time users. Blessings & peace to you! β€ π
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Thank you, and Iβm happy to share! π
Yes, exactly! π And amΓ©n, may we be! And thank you for sharing your experience – it was such an encouragement to me. β€οΈ
Blessings and peace to you too! π
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You’re so welcome Grace! β€ π
Ah, bless God! No problem at all girl! Amen! Thank you Lord it blessed your daughter! π
Thank you! I receive it!
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π π
π β€οΈ
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Totally agree, and well done you , same applies to most interests I feel knowing when a hobby becomes an obsession!! But you have seen this and with gods help you are conquering it , Iβm sure your laptop stopped working was a sign from god , saying stop just take a step back and think and look at where this is heading, I repair computers and sure you will or with your dads help fix your laptop. And gaming isnβt bad at all but too much is ! But you know that now you learned that and gods opened your eyes to additions . Bless you for writing this blog and sharing.
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Oh yes, I agree! I’ve been through similar with other hobbies and interests as well.
I agree. π And I’m glad I did. Taking a step back put everything into perspective.
I hope we can fix it eventually but it’s such an old model. I’m afraid parts may be scarce. (It’s an IBM T23 with Windows 2000 in it.) But I think this long break without it is doing me good. π
Thank you! β€ Blessings! π
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