Have you ever noticed that the harder we try to have fun, the less fun we seem to have?
Holding onto fun is like clutching sand – the tighter we try to grip it, the more it slips through our fingers.
I’m recalling trips to Disney World and other colossal “fun quests” we undertook when our sons were young. All the money, all the crowds, all the video footage capturing all the memories for all posterity.
Did we have some good times? Oh, yea. But there were a few less-than-stellar moments, too, as we waited in endless lines, trudged through sweaty crowds, paid outrageous prices and wore ourselves slap out trying to find some magic in the kingdom.
It seems that many of life’s best moments sneak up on us not when we’re intent on capturing them, but, rather, when we’re looking the other way.
I remember, for example, lying on my bed one day, a dozen or more years ago, recuperating from knee surgery. My boys, ever the funny little chaps, got down on the floor at the end of my bed and proceeded to entertain me with a “synchronized swimming” routine (minus the water). All I could see were long, skinny legs slicing and dicing the air quite inartistically, and very hilariously.
Pure, spontaneous fun.
Then there was the Irish “Riverdance” routine that is still a legend at Greenwood Christian School. Because my oldest son, Ryan, is six feet, five inches, of purely non-dancing man, his classmates chose him to do a solo routine when the entire class performed a “Riverdance” parody in a talent show. He brought the house down as he attempted to nimbly prance and leap upon his size 13 feet.
More fun than a person could ever afford to buy.
So many treasured memories are birthed from golden moments that are unplanned, unexpected and inexpensive – a reality that runs counter to a culture ruled by calendars, watches, to-do lists and bank accounts.
We try so hard to have fun … and feel ripped off when we don’t get enough chuckles for our buck.
We try so hard to relax … and end up stressed out about relaxing.
We try so hard to be successful … and in our obsession to get to the top of the ladder, we forget why we started climbing in the first place.
We try so hard to find love … and suffocate the real thing under the weight of our Hollywood fantasies.
And likewise, we try so hard to appear pious … and miss the joy and freedom of “a simple and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
The longer I live, the better I think I grasp the words of Jesus: “But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
When I simply live with my focus on loving God and loving others, as Jesus commanded, the goodness of life finds me. But when I push and strive to get what I want, it seems that stuff always stays one step beyond my grasp.
When I live for an audience of One – God — His applause is sweet … and it’s enough.
There is indeed “magic” in the kingdom, but we find it only in knowing the King – Jesus Christ.
“Cease striving and know that I am God …” – Psalm 46:10a