Sunday, July 09, 2006

"Less Purpose, More Fun"

My friends, my friends...I am still alive. I consider this somewhat of a "reunion tour" posting, given that I had put aside my keyboard and retired from blogging a while ago.

But, I'm back. The Come Back Kid, they used to call me. And, prophets they were.

Let's talk about something. A wise friend of mine recently coined the phrase "less purpose, more fun" as he and I and another joked about how we rarely have opportunities to do things just for the sake of enjoying them. Rarely do we allow our serious selves to let go of the notion that everything we do has to be poised and strategic and revolutionary. In the town in which I live, this virus is particularly rampant as most people just don't know mirth and joy and the intrinsic value they contain.

Most people, myself included, are progressively seeking out the next step and plotting how to get from A to B. That, or they just overthink things to an extent that is sometimes unbearable.

I realize that I am sounding very critical of my fellow Townies. But, I am also criticizing myself. I admit that I too often find myself caught in the chess game of the world and live for that as opposed to enjoying the gifts that my King bestows on me day in and day out, while trusting that He is at work.

Is it possible to avoid the hype, even the Christian world hype, of having to be able to make sense of everything, having to know exactly what you're doing, why you're doing it, why it serves a purpose for the greater good? Not that I am against the greater good by any stretch of the imagination. But, if it means losing the ability to enjoy a moment or being too thoughtful to laugh from the depths of my girth at a friend's joke, I think we should stop and ask if that's really what God wants for us?

I know I'm asking that question, and I'm finding that I miss the joy I knew before I made an idol of purpose. I hope you too can take your foot off of the pedal as you seek purpose, and realize that God has created us as beings who can and should enjoy our lives often.

For a good time, watch Pirates of the Caribbean II.

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