After graduating from Biola, and before heading to India, I spent a little time at home resting and preparing for my trip. In that short time I was also troubled by a new question that sparked a thought project which been rattling around in my head the last few weeks.
I woke up the Monday after graduating feeling a little groggy. I’d arrived late the night before, and my drool stained cheek proved I’d slept well. I was still tired, but it was getting late, so I decided to roll out of bed onto the floor, and then work my way downstairs from there. As I struggled to get out of bed, a thought sprung into my head.“I should go read my Bible…maybe pray a little.” I pondered the thought for a moment than promptly concluded, “Nah…that doesn’t sound fun.” So, instead I went downstairs and read the sports page.
The next morning I awoke feeling fresh . No drool, but still a great night of sleep. I again thought, “Ya know, I really should read my Bible, that would be a great way to start my morning.” However, after an internal debate I quickly realized that reading my Bible would take some mental effort, so I instead opted to watch Dr. Who on TV. There was no doubt in my mind that reading my Bible at that point in time would have been good, it just didn’t sound as fun as watching TV.
So, here are the unsettling questions that arose in my mind:
Do I have an obsession for fun that deters my love for what is good? Am I more concerned with “having a good time”, then I am with glorifying God?
Pondering these thoughts for the past few weeks, the sad conclusion I’m coming to is, “Yes". By God's grace I am often empowered to focus on Him, but I am also often far more concerned with having fun than obeying God or living for His glory. This is not a question asking if we need pray for 30 minutes every day to be a good Christian, and I’m not saying that it was wrong to go watch TV instead of reading my Bible in that instance. I’m simply saying that I often don’t think about Jesus at all, and I just think doing something fun, and that is wrong.
This pops up all over my life. That movie may have some nasty scenes, but I’ll watch it because it’s fun to watch movies. I really can’t seem to find any significant amount of time to spend in prayer, but somehow I found time to play
Now the problem here isn’t “fun” at all, and solution to this problem isn't trying to enjoy life less. God made fun, and he wants us to enjoy lives full of joy. There is nothing wrong with playing sports, eating out, watching movies, reading novels or joking with friends, but they must be prioritized properly and done in a manner which is glorifying to God.
The problem is simply elevating fun to a place where I neglect God. When my mind is so consumed with a desire to have fun, that God is suddenly nowhere in the picture at all. When having fun becomes my mission; the driving force that shapes my life rather than God steering my life. The problem also arises when I confuse sinful things as fun things, and go ahead and sin simply because it’s fun (exemplified in my tearing down a buddy simply to get a laugh). Enjoying God and bringing him glory must be the ultimate focus of my life, and when I keep Him as top priority, God will be faithful to provide heaps of joy in the sports, relationships, meals and movies that fill my life.
I don’t want to have an obsession for fun that deters my love of what is good. What I really want is an obsession for God that deters my love of sin, but that’s still a work in progress in my life and will continue to be an area of spiritual remodeling until the day I die. Praise God for being patient with us as we slowly learn and grow, and praise Him for being faithful to refine us.
