Did Jesus ever have fun?
When we read about the life of Christ on earth, we hear about miracles and healings and extensive travels, but what we don’t hear enough about is how much joy this work brought to Christ’s life. The traditional image of Christ is somber, gentle, and calm, and this is a beautiful image. However, even in Christ’s holy, incomprehensibly serious work throughout His life, He still found joy. Imagine Christ holding and blessing the multitudes of children. Is there any way that He wasn’t smiling during that?! The point is that, as written in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Jesus, the only flawless man to touch the earth’s soil, went through seasons of sorrow and pain and excitement and mourning and laughing and joy.
When I tell people about my pending travels around the world with the World Race, the most common reaction is “Wow! You’re going to have so much fun on that adventure!” Now, I’ll be honest, my heart flutters when I think about the adventures I’ll have in these six nations, but it turns violently inside of my chest when I think about the bigger picture, the real reason that I’m traveling: my mission. It’s not just a mission to get out or to meet new people or to see new places or to experience new cultures. It’s not even a mission to have fun! It’s a mission to contribute to the Kingdom, to move the body of Christ, to love a little (or a lot) deeper, to follow our calling to serve, and to push the least of us toward Christ. That… that makes me infinitely more eager to leave than all of the adventures in the world combined.
Humans are weird in that we are really bad multi-taskers. Why haven’t we figured out a way to eat and sleep at the same time yet ?!?!? That would be AMAZING… woah… yes please… back to the point!!! The point is that everything in our lives has a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and this mission trip is a season to progress the Kingdom. Adventures will be a part of this season, and they will be epic, but this season is about growth and relationships with God.
I don’t mean to down play the significance of fun on the Race or in life. In fact, in the God Breathed Word it is written that “a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance” (Proverbs 15:13). Fun will most certainly be such a huge part of this season of mission work. Even so, the adventures, in a major way, will still be used to glorify Christ’s wonderful, perfect name. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.” Moreover, Psalm 149:2-4 reads “Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.”
To put it all into an over-simplified slogan for what exactly this mission trip means to me and to the other members of the mission:
It’s a little bit of adventure with a LOT of Jesus, not a little bit of Jesus with a lot of adventure.
This season is filled with mystery and excitement, but there is so much certainty that I’m finding in the Spirit as we’ve all been guided to move the body of Christ. We’re ready to move mountains to help those around us and lead them to the Lord. Are you?
– Thanks for reading!
Laura
P.S. Quick update:
- I just graduated high school
- Track and Field just ended for me
- I got a coaching job!
- Training camp is in 34 days
- I leave for Africa in 98 days
- I am not quite fully funded… SOS..?
- I AM SO EXCITED !!!!!!!!!
