“What makes ‘fun’ fun?”

I laugh less now than I ever have. And at a time when I have so much to be grateful for. I’m alive. Living indoors. Breathing.

And so are you if you’re reading this. What happened to us?

Hang around little kids and listen to them laugh and squeal with joy.

Where did it go? Why do I laugh so infrequently? What happened to fun?

My daughter told me recently I’d become a little “intense”. (She’s now out of the will!)

Part of it is age and maturity. When you’re young, you think you’re invincible. The older you get, the more you realize things CAN kill you. There is danger and risk. It’s undeniable.

Another part is being ‘on purpose’ all the time. Work demands intensity and technology has scattered it into every corner of our days and nights, homes and cars, offices and vacations.

But as a God-follower with eternal security, why should I let that happen? Isn’t God in charge? Isn’t he responsible for all the outcomes? What should I be afraid of? Why should any of us be ‘intense’…or driven? We should be the happiest, most spontaneous, ‘laugh-‘til-you-cry’ people on the planet.

On a recent road trip with some dear friends, we decided to inspire ourselves to live a little ‘lighter’ and have more fun. (You know there’s a problem when you’re developing evaluative criteria for fun!)

“What makes ‘fun’ fun?” we asked.

Here’s what we came up with…

Doing something that forces you to have guts and ‘get outside yourself’… is fun.

Doing something that ‘breaks your routine’ …is fun.

Doing something that has an element of ‘escape’ from your usual surroundings is fun.

Doing something new….something you’ve never done before… is fun.

Doing something with an element of adventure is fun.

Doing something with fun people is fun…you’re not likely to laugh alone.

Doing something embarrassing is fun. Laughing at ourselves is really good medicine.

Doing something requiring action is fun. You’re less likely to laugh being passive.

Doing something that requires emotional expression is fun…. things like dancing or karaoke.

Doing something in God’s awesome creation is fun… fun stuff often happens outdoors.

I can’t find the word “fun” in the Bible but the word “joy” is in there a lot. From what I’ve learned, joy is in us via the Holy Spirit. We just have to let it rise to the surface. We have to set aside our ‘stuff’ long enough to let that joy get loose in our hearts.

Jesus must have had a sense of humor. I love when He walked out on the water and appeared to his disciples. I can imagine the smile on His face watching their reactions. And when they couldn’t catch fish on one side of the boat He said, “Try the other side” and they loaded up. He had to be bustin’ a belly-bouncer watching their faces.

Unfortunately we’ve let movies and t.v. shows convince us Jesus was always this serious, intense, stern sour puss. Kids don’t like sour pusses, but they liked Jesus. That says a lot.

John Piper calls himself a “Christian hedonist” because he thinks God wants us to have more fun and enjoy our lives more than anything (but Him).

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to crank up the fun in my life. It won’t happen without intentionality, both to set aside my “to do” list AND to create a “to do for fun” list.

…then do it.

Question: Have you forgotten to have fun lately? What are doing about it?  If you’d like to comment, please do so here.