Today, hundreds of millions of people (if not billions) will celebrate the change of the new year.
As I think toward my own mindset, the first thing I think of is “I want to do something fun to celebrate.” This isn’t wrong, but as I talk to other people and they say “I’m not going here because it’s not very fun,” or “I’m not doing that this year because that would require us leaving our comfort zone.” All I hear is an obsession with fun.
Is fun wrong? I don’t believe so. However, I’ve found myself often not taking opportunities because they’re not the opportunities that I would have the most fun. This is why people will often party hop on holidays like New Year’s. They start at one, but they want to maximize their fun, so they hit up three different parties to see the most people and accumulate the most joy.
What if we stopped looking to see where we could have the most fun or enjoy ourselves the most and looked to see where the biggest need is? Where are there ways that we could help? Who are the people who could use a helping hand?
As I said, I’m certainly not opposed to fun, but with all the fun focus, I think we miss out on opportunities that may actually bring us the most joy. The discussion of the difference between fun and joy is probably another blog post in itself. What is fun? What is joy? Are they the same thing?
The idea of doing what’s better and not what’s more fun is something that I’ve been trying (and mostly failing) to do for the last 6 months. I want to once again challenge myself to do this. God has not called us to a life of fun, he’s called us to a life of worship and obedience. But in this worship and obedience comes life abundantly and life everlasting. Our joy comes from following Christ, so let’s stop seeking what we think our own fun is, and seek after what God’s offering us when we follow Him full-heartedly.
Happy New Year.