Because there’s so much hate going back
and forth in this country right now that can be frankly depressing and
off-putting, I figure this post should be talking about the concept of fun. I
will get into more of my own story, but for now, let’s just talk about fun.
Fun is a great distraction. Of course, work is a necessary component to our lives, and perhaps sometimes it can be fun too.
We all like to do a variety of things
for fun. Some of us like to go hiking. Others of us really enjoy activities
like writing, reading, running, playing golf, playing tennis, skiing, playing
video games, watching movies with a nice cup of hot chocolate with a friend or
a significant other, etc.
You may not enjoy your job, and not every job is really all that fun, but I really enjoy Hebrew and Greek tutoring. It’s something that gives me life, that makes me smile when I get to share this thing I geek out over with others, even if they don’t find it as awesome as I do. All the better when they do love it!
I think God created fun alongside work. Some work is fun, but fun does not have to be work. Through fun, a child learns. Why do we paint our nails? Why do we go watch movies with friends? Why do we play games outdoors and indoors? Why do we play basketball, football (American and otherwise), rugby, etc.?
We do these things because, first of all, they are a means by which we are able to enjoy life. Where would we be with laughter, without song, without games and entertainment and creative writing, drawing, painting?
When God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden and then commanded humanity not to eat from it, it wasn’t the only tree he put in the garden. God filled the garden with many trees, including the tree of life (Gen. 2:9), and God allowed them to eat freely from any tree except for one…to enjoy his creation, but to avoid overindulging.
I think that similarly, when we play, we enjoy God’s creation. Eating is one aspect of enjoyment…there are other aspects too.
You may not enjoy your job, and not every job is really all that fun, but I really enjoy Hebrew and Greek tutoring. It’s something that gives me life, that makes me smile when I get to share this thing I geek out over with others, even if they don’t find it as awesome as I do. All the better when they do love it!
I think God created fun alongside work. Some work is fun, but fun does not have to be work. Through fun, a child learns. Why do we paint our nails? Why do we go watch movies with friends? Why do we play games outdoors and indoors? Why do we play basketball, football (American and otherwise), rugby, etc.?
We do these things because, first of all, they are a means by which we are able to enjoy life. Where would we be with laughter, without song, without games and entertainment and creative writing, drawing, painting?
When God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden and then commanded humanity not to eat from it, it wasn’t the only tree he put in the garden. God filled the garden with many trees, including the tree of life (Gen. 2:9), and God allowed them to eat freely from any tree except for one…to enjoy his creation, but to avoid overindulging.
I think that similarly, when we play, we enjoy God’s creation. Eating is one aspect of enjoyment…there are other aspects too.
Psalm 133 is a perfect example of this
kind of celebration of life: The psalm begins with a declaration of how good it
is when siblings (the word “brothers” in Hebrew can include both men and women
in some contexts) dwell together in unity. This reminds me of what it is like
when a group of friends enjoy one another’s company, whether through outdoor
hikes, sharing a meal, or playing games like tag, etc.
We dwell in unity. Sometimes we forget about the problems of this world in the process.
When we have fun with others, we see the image of God in them—we enjoy this thing, and we discover that those other people enjoy the same thing, so we discover that despite our differences, we still share something in common.
One of the most beautiful things about fun in social contexts is that people often drop their judgments about others when they are purely enjoying their surroundings and being in the company of the other person.
We dwell in unity. Sometimes we forget about the problems of this world in the process.
When we have fun with others, we see the image of God in them—we enjoy this thing, and we discover that those other people enjoy the same thing, so we discover that despite our differences, we still share something in common.
One of the most beautiful things about fun in social contexts is that people often drop their judgments about others when they are purely enjoying their surroundings and being in the company of the other person.
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