Are You Having Fun?

I want to ask a question - simply, are you having fun? Are you having fun with the people you’re working with? Are you having fun doing the things that you are doing? Are you having fun serving God?

I’ve found myself recently asking this question of myself, with Emily and with leaders who we are working with. When’s the last time that we really had fun whilst serving in Church? When’s the last time that we really laughed in our teams? When’s the last time that we truly enjoyed some time together - where we were a bit silly in a meeting that wasn’t belittling of someone else, or taking away from the importance of that that we are doing? When’s the last time we didn’t take ourselves too seriously?

I am a very, very (VERY) task orientated person. I get into a conversation and, if I’m really honest, I am often trying to find the quickest route to getting the job done so that I can either get to the next important thing on my list, or get in my car to go home… But all too often, and especially recently, I am catching myself missing an aspect within things that is actually really important. The fun… the joy that comes from having a laugh with people. I don’t think we are meant to be so focussed on what we’re doing that we can’t find fun in it.

Leading people, teams, ministries, even Churches is hard enough. We don’t need to make it even harder by removing the fun - it brings energy. It can be a driver in times where it’s really hard. In fact, without fun, may I suggest lots of this “stuff” could be meaningless…

Ecclesiastes talks about all the things that are meaningless, and apparently there’s a lot, but in Ecclesiastes 8 it talks about how our works can be meaningless if we don’t also find fun and joy. Verse 15 says “So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.”

Without the joy and fun, all the work can be meaningless. What an encouragement (I have a sarcasm sign for when I’m speaking in church as Austrians don’t understand sarcasm - here is the perfect time to hold it up).

Maybe you are great at including fun in all that you’re doing, keep going! If, like me sometimes it’s forgotten, let me encourage you to intentionally plan fun. Even if it feels forced to begin with, force it… after a while it will become natural (again). Play the stupid game, tell a bad dad joke, show that funny video, keep the outtakes of the video you’ve recorded and show them.

Let’s laugh again, let’s bring the fun back, let’s enjoy what we’re doing and show the joy that we have deep, deep down in our hearts.

Ps Kye Izatt