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The Anatomy Of Fun | Ellie Lacey
I can’t remember the day I came up with this or why I even started to do this but a few years back I began this certain daily habit and it’s been pretty revolutionary in my life.
In my day to day, whenever I feel like I am in a funk, I ask myself a series of questions, one of the first questions I ask myself is, “When was the last time you had fun and laughed?”
You might think this sounds stupid or childish but when I ask myself this question and I answer, “It’s been a couple of days.” I normally can tell that’s most likely the answer to why I am in a funk.
I think what happens is that the older we get the more willing we are to sacrifice fun in order to get things accomplished. We overrule fun with other words like “responsibility”, “stress”, “focus”, “adulthood”, “drive”, etc., I completely get it, there are seasons for everything BUT let me ask you this… What is the purpose of having a season of success or focus if you don’t even have FUN while you were making it all happen?
This is why people want to stay young forever. Not because they want to stay children but because they want to keep having FUN. With more responsibility, the fun gets put lower and lower down on the list of to-dos.
You see, I strongly believe in my heart of hearts that we don’t have to sacrifice success, accomplishments, responsibility or faith in order to have fun. In this scenario, I think we can have our cake and eat it too.
It’s easier to work this into your everyday life than you might think that it is. This isn’t as hard as it may seem because FUN is relative. I hate to sound vague by using the word “relative” but FUN can look however you want it to look. Fun looks different for everyone.
For me, fun can be as simple as hanging with friends, going to a new spot, writing, longboarding, playing the guitar, drawing, going to the movies, having a dance party in my car or something as easy as watching a funny YouTube video. It doesn’t always have to be some long elaborate trip or big, expensive Instagram perfect ordeal of an adventure. Whatever brings life is fun.
If you are a Christian you might find this shocking or unbiblical, but I believe that if you are a Christian it is your responsibility to have FUN! God VALUES FUN…He created fun.
I think Believers should have the most FUN, interesting, intentional lives out of anyone that walks the planet.
My point is when non-Christian’s look at believers and all they see is boredom, seriousness, and sadness, it’s misrepresenting what Jesus came and died on the cross for and it makes us unattractive to those who don’t believe in Jesus.
People should look at our lives, at our life of faith and see the joy, adventure and sheer fun that we are having every single day of our lives because we have the forgiveness that Jesus offers. Life with Jesus is an adventure and adventures are FUN and exciting!
The Bible actually says the following….
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him! (Romans 8:15-17)
If that’s not talking about having fun, I don’t know what is. Every part of this passage points to us having FUN as believers. It’s fun when you are going on an adventure with God, when you know who you actually are, and when you know that you will and are receiving a massive inheritance.
Because of this, if you have Jesus that means you have hope regardless of the circumstances and the things that life throws at you. Our lives should be a reflection of that. That’s a lifestyle and a movement people will want to be a part of.
I now make it a personal mission to have intentional FUN and laugh at least once a day. It’s lifted me from some real moods and helped to change my perspective and attitude countless times. I would challenge you to do the same. Find FUN in the little. Maybe put it on your schedule every day and at a certain time, you stop to do something that you think is fun and life-giving for you or you just simply make yourself laugh.
By no means am I saying at any point in this to mask pain or hurt with fun. I’m just saying that life is really hard and sometimes it’s essential to have some fun and it’ll make our problems seem a little smaller, our world a little happier and the journey that much more exciting. Have fun! This is the Gospel, to abide in Christ and enjoy life to the fullest.