Why is it so hard for me to stop working and just have fun?
Other people have no trouble doing this. They look for any reason to drop the dust rags, ditch the dirty laundry, turn off the computer, and head to the park! Or the movies. Or a hike. Laughing all the way.
I wish I were more like that. I’m the one who wants to make sure we get all the work done first — before any fun begins. Only the work is never done. When I finish one task, another sits waiting for me. There’s always something more to do. As a result, I experience false guilt. All the time.
In my up bringing we worked hard and now my siblings and I all have a great work ethic. In fact, I used to be more of a work acholic. I took the payouts at work instead of the time off. Then I married someone who also works hard and has a great work ethic. We both worked all the time.
I’m pretty sure this all-work-no-play routine wasn’t the life Jesus intended any of us to live. Jesus, with more to do in His three years of active ministry than I’ll have in a lifetime, focused on His main assignment — to love people. Sometimes that meant teaching them, or serving them. Other times it meant just hanging out, enjoying dinner with friends and celebrating with family. These fun times weren’t empty of significance. Rather they were filled with value as Jesus showed love in a different way.
The Bible values hard work, but Jesus’ message is clear: Love God. Love people.
John 15:11-12 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
Several years after we decided to have a family, I knew it had to change. When my kids taught me that the little things in life were important, I slowed down. I found fun. These last 11 years I decided that would be my goal, stop and smell the flowers as the saying goes.
That’s my challenge. To be intentional about having fun. To initiate getting together with others. To say yes when invited. To stretch outside my comfort zone. And to relax about the details.
Work will always be there — but the people might not be.
Ecclesiastes 8:15 “So, I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life.”