Go Have Fun! Scripture Says To!
/Yesterday we took the day off to go to the Fryeburg fair. Yup, smack dab in the midst of a work and school week, we took the day off and went to the fair...and wow did we need it.
As a result of taking the day off, I woke this morning ready to face another work and school day head on (although my feet sure were tired last night). Do you ever go through times when all of a sudden you realize you just have to take a break from the routine of life or you're going to snap. I know I've taken breaks before, or a vacation and only in the midst of it do I then realize how badly I needed it. Things can get overwhelming if we never take time to slow down and enjoy life. No matter what your work is; whether a job, housework, or dare we say, even ministry, it is easy to get totally consumed with work. As I mentioned in another post (here), we can get so consumed with work we neglect quiet time with the Lord,
but the other thing we can neglect is just slowing down enough to enjoy life and the people around us. Do you know scripture speaks on just this subject?
"So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under then sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun." Ecclesiastes 8:15
Who doesn't enjoy eating and drinking and being merry? In fact this verse says there is nothing better under the sun, but as I was reading this verse today one other part stood out to me; "for this will remain with him in his labor". I thought, "what does that mean?" Then I thought, I think I just experienced what that means. I worked hard, as scripture encourages, then we took time off and enjoyed life and enjoyed each other, as scripture encourages. Then when I got up the next morning, I was ready to face more work because the time of rest "remained with me in my labor" just as this passage says. I think God knew how we would tend to work and work and work and then burn out, so He, in His wisdom put in scripture a reminder for us to take time to enjoy life; "a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink and be merry" then He added, a note telling us if we enjoy life, we would be able to face the next work week because we would be refreshed, "it would remain with us in our labor".
Do you know what being "merry" is...it's having fun, enjoying life, or as Merriam Webster says "being happy and cheerful". So go take some time to do that. Go take time to have fun, play and be merry, and do it with those you love, those blessings the Lord has put in your life, and do it today.
