What do you do for Fun?
What do you do for Fun?
I get asked this question a lot. I also find myself asking the question quite frequently: What do you do for fun? Have you ever NOT been able to answer that or have you had a long pause when asked? It’s like, man you just put me on the spot and all with that question. It’s like you asked me what I think about politics or something. I still don’t think I can confidently answer this question, but I think I’m getting somewhere. I want to be like, “Yeah, you know, I hike Mt. Everest on weekends and throw in the occasional spear-fishing trip along with extreme volley-ball-mountain-climbing…” I think there’s a lot of expectation in our culture. You see people with “Salt Life” (or Swamp Life if you’re in Gainesville) bumper stickers, hunting stickers, CrossFit-fanatics, etc. And those things are great and I’m not knocking on them by any means. The beach is fun, and I don’t really like hunting or exercise, but that’s cool if you’re into that sort of thing.
What if your life isn’t “Fun?”
So what if your life isn’t really that “fun?” Well maybe it actually is and you just have the wrong idea of fun. I would also say that life is about more than just having fun. However, I think it’s important to find at least one thing you can enjoy that gives you a break from the rigors of day-to-day life and missional work (if you’re a Christian) and no, that doesn’t entail reading your Bible more (though you should and it is also a lot of fun…most days). It’s not a matter of just finding something to do for fun just for the sake of doing something fun. I am still learning how to have fun. I would say Theresa and I have always enjoyed traveling. That’s probably the biggest fun thing we do. We like going on trips, even if they’re just day trips. Outside of that, I would say we enjoy sleeping and eating. Those two activities make for a pretty fun day to me.
Learning How to have Fun again…
I have been pressing myself on this for about the last year. Somewhere over time (getting married, having kids, busyness, responsibilities, work, etc.) I have forgotten how to have fun! How does a person forget how to have fun? I’ve had to learn learn again. Having fun doesn’t mean I have to shift my priorities. I think having fun is a way of rest for me. It’s pretty clear in the Bible how important it is to rest (Genesis 2:2-3; Psalm 23:1-2; Hebrews 4, etc.). I mean, a saved Christian even enters God’s “rest” (Heb. 4). I get too serious sometimes (a lot) and so caught up in stuff that “has to be done.” Theresa has really helped me learn how to have fun again (she will break out dancing in public if she hears a good song or run around in the rain with the kids). Sometimes I’m all over here like, “You kids better not get all muddy and track that stuff in the house!” It’s kind of comical how un-fun I can be sometimes. I even realize it in the moment too. I’ll think, “Man, you’re kind of being a jerk right now.” I think many of us get this way sometimes, so I’m not just trying to pick on myself here.
Find your Cedar Key
Let me change gears a bit. There’s a really neat place about an hour from us on the Gulf Coast of Florida called Cedar Key. It’s a small fishing village and it isn’t anything glamourous like Clearwater Beach or St. Augustine. But that’s one of the things I like about it. It’s more of a local spot if you will. Theresa, the kids, and I just love going out there. There’s a small little beach and playground along with a few seafood restaurants, a community garden, and some docks for fishing. If you have ever been to the Florida Keys, it reminds me of them. There are several other little keys surrounding Cedar Key that you can kayak to over a pretty short distance. The waters are extremely calm so it’s as smooth as being on a lake. Theresa and I have been talking about getting our own kayaks so we can start kayaking out there and other places around Gainesville (there are tons of pristine springs, rivers, and lakes). We may even take up fishing. I’m not an outdoors person, but there’s so much to do recreationally in Florida (besides drugs) that it’s hard not to want to get outdoors. Especially since the weather is perfect 7-8 months out of the year.
Having Fun isn’t the Goal of Life
I write this (and this applies to everything I write in this blog) to encourage. Especially for any who are in that spot where maybe you forgot how to have fun. The rigors of life and responsibility have seeped in and you don’t know what it means to have fun anymore. It’s not a place to fret. It happens. Life is about much more than having fun. That’s not the overall goal of life, unlike the YOLO movement would have you believe. But God hasn’t called Christians to be bored, merely persevering people. I actually think God uses our hobbies, fun activities, etc. as a means of building relationship with people, especially unbelievers. If you rock climb, take someone rock climbing with you. If you hunt, take someone hunting with you. If you like eating, take someone eating with you. Have some fun!