Who Created Fun?
by Peter Brokaar
Most people will know the famous opening line of the Bible ‘In the beginning God created’. We’re told that God made everything, both the seen and the unseen, both the heavens and the earth, as well as everything in them. Life, as we know it, is a reflection of God’s nature and character and provides humanity with a clue to His Eternal Being.
Creation speaks of divine attributes such as His majesty, His creativity (Psalm 19:1-4) and the fact that God rules the universe by just laws. But recently I’ve been pondering something else. Who created fun? Who created our ability to enjoy ourselves, to laugh and to simply have a good time? Isn’t this the same God? After all, who’s the One who gives us true joy? Isn’t it God’s Spirit?
If God hadn’t wanted us to have any fun, delight or enjoyment in life, He wouldn’t have created us with the ability to appreciate these things. These facilities certainly aren’t a result of the fall. They’re all part of that which God created and pronounced to be good.
Perhaps it’s possible that the enemy has stolen something from us. Perhaps the devil’s purposes are being served when God gets misrepresented as a tight-lipped, joyless and ‘un-fun’ authoritarian figure. As with all things, our lives experiences, and in particular our upbringing, can have contributed to an unbalanced, coloured, or even warped view of our Lord. But thankfully we have the Gospel witnesses to set us straight!
In Jesus we see God for who He really is. Though Jesus indeed proclaimed some strict rules for righteous living, but He also clearly encouraged enjoyment in the good things of life. He Himself enjoyed good food and fellowship (Luke 7:34), He created wine from water, and, all the way through the Gospels, we see Him as someone who radically opposes a dried-up version of biblical faith. He warned powerfully against the self-righteous and religious approach to life, which the Pharisees promoted.
A famous bible verse (John 14:6) declares that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. It’s possible that we may have emphasised the ‘Truth-aspect’' to Jesus, and have understated the ‘Life-aspect’ about our Lord. He is life, and He brings life to the fullest (John 10:10).
If we’re in a position of not receiving life, or if we’re resisting the fullness of life (and true life certainly includes fun!), then this means that, to some extent, we’re not receiving, or we could be resisting, something that’s very close to Jesus’ heart. We might, in a way, even be resisting the Lord Jesus Himself.
If we’re to grasp more fully who our God is, truly know Him more intimately, and experience His heart for us, then we must make space for fun and enjoyment in our life. It’s at times when I realise this, that I’m so grateful to be a Christian!
Prayer: Father in heaven, I thank You that You’re good. Thank You that You want true life for me! Help me to enjoy the fullness of life that You want to give me, and forgive me for whenever I’ve resisted You in this regard. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Peter Brokaar is Director of Ellel Ministries Scotland and has been there together with his wife Liz since 2005. They have 3 kids, all born in Scotland! In his free time he likes reading, cooking, running and surfing. Being at Ellel Scotland has given him the privilege of getting to know God deeper and sharing that joy with many others.
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