I was convicted this week about enjoying life and having fun. No… not that I was having too much fun and not focusing on hard work. It was actually the opposite. I was convicted by the Holy Spirit that I wasn’t stopping enough to enjoy life.
My life had been so serious for so long in the past with crisis after crisis that I kind of forgot about having fun. God wants us to have fun—sinless fun!
We work so hard at building our lives and often can neglect to have fun along the way. There needs to be a healthy balance of hard work, rest and play.
Have you been like me and lost a little of your silliness to your seriousness? Have you been striving to build your life instead of letting God direct your steps? Working is great and a must, but if we are focused on striving while neglecting to see what is in front of us now, we are missing precious moments we may not get back.
We Say After I Do This Or When I Retire I Will…
What if you never make it to then? None of us know what the future will look like or how long our future here on earth will last.
What Are You Missing Out On Right Now That Won’t Or Might Not Be There When You Retire Or Even In The Next Season Of Life?
Time Will End And Life Is Short. What We Do And Enjoy Responsibly Now Matters. Don’t Wait Until You’re Done Building To Have Those Dinners, Make Those Memories, Play With Your Kids (Grown Or Little), Or Teach Those Lessons.
Here Are 5 Tips I Have Come Up With To Help Us Enjoy Life Now While We Work Hard For The Future:
- Take time to rest and recharge. Find moments or activities in your life that bring rest and that recharge you and your family.
When we rest we cease striving. When we can cease striving we are trusting in God’s care and provision for our lives. It’s an act of faith to rest and recharge.
- Find enjoyment in your work.
We have meaningful work to do. Is your work building treasures in heaven and is it meaningful, enjoyable God-given work? Do you know your God-given spiritual gifts and talents, and are you using them? Is your heart in your work or are you just going through the motions? If the answer is no, you may be in the wrong line of work and/or need a purified heart. I suggest sitting with God to align your heart with His. Also, ask how you can either make your work meaningful and enjoyable or if you need to start something in a new direction. If we are always miserable in our work and dreading Monday we won’t be able to effectively shine the light of Jesus to others. We want to stand out and let our joy (a fruit of the Spirit) shine out making others notice and be drawn to a life with Jesus.
- Cultivate an environment of healthy fun
Are you allowing yourself to have fun? Are we cultivating an environment and memories of fun for our kids and grandkids? Are you constantly stuck in front of the tv desperate to escape your hectic week? I love watching movies and binging a tv show from time to time, but that isn’t healthy long-term, especially for our kids. We need to cultivate creative, healthy fun other than every night being a tv night. Let’s bring back board games or hide and seek in the dark with lightsabers. I remember growing up and having our whole neighborhood (parents and kids) play hide and seek in the dark outside. Now, we are locked up tight and half of us don’t even know our neighbors exist. This needs to change. We can all do better!
- Be intentional with our time
If we let go of the distractions and start valuing our time more, intentionally surrendering our time to God, we can work with His strength and timing saving us a lot of wasted time and effort. Sometimes, we are so exhausted because we are wasting time and effort doing things our way instead of letting God carry us through the day. Ask Him how to spend your time every day.
- Be content
How many times have I wasted time and money on things I didn’t need all because my focus was misplaced? Too many to count! A life of contentment does not need the bigger house or the fancier new thing. If we are continuously needing an upgrade, we are going to be working endlessly for more and more material things that won’t last or bring true enjoyment.
Enjoying life has nothing to do with money, worldly success or material possessions. It has everything to do with time and how we surrender our time for more of Jesus and what He wants to do. Life here on earth is short. Enjoy spending time with Jesus, enjoy working hard for Him and enjoy slowing down to soak up all the beauty and blessings along the way.
I challenge you and me to value the time we have, go create worthwhile treasures stored in heaven and enjoy life here on earth building a legacy—shining the light of Jesus.
Prayer: Father, thank you for reminding us to slow down. Forgive us for striving instead of letting You guide us. Help us to rest and recharge, find enjoyment in our work, cultivate a healthy environment of fun, to be intentional with our time and to be content. Give us your creative ideas and the willingness to cultivate meaningful fun around us, bringing notice to others a life full of joy even in hardship. Let our lives be shining Your light, Jesus, and building a lasting legacy for future generations to come. We love you dearly! It’s in Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
“I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the good life. It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts. I know that everything God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. God works so that people will be in awe of him.” Ecclesiastes 3:12-14