Are We Having Fun Yet?

I played golf with a good friend a few days ago.  That may not seem significant, but I don’t do it very often; maybe once every 18 months or so, whether I need it or not.  I served up more slices than a butcher in the deli department, but I accomplished my goal--a relaxing day with my friend.

We shot in the lower 90’s. It would have been nice if the temperature had been in the lower 80’s instead, but it was still not bad.  We actually didn’t keep score.  Today was not about birdies, pars, bogeys.  It was about laughter, conversation, and fresh air.

At one point, we let some guys play through because they were faster and better than we were.  While we watched them tee off, one of them hit a shot that I’m pretty sure he wasn’t pleased with.  There was a lot of tossing of clubs and saying some words that cannot be repeated here unless I use all those little symbol keys.

My thought progression on this little spectacle went something like this.  1. Wow, that guy is really unhappy with that shot. That was a masterful bit of deduction, Sherlock.  2. That shot was better than any shot I hit all day.  I would have done an awkward Baptist happy dance after that one.  3. I feel sorry for that guy.  Why would you deliberately spend a sunny Friday afternoon doing something that makes you so miserable?

It’s that third one that really inspired me today.  Our world is full of misery, disappointment, and frustration.  Circumstances beyond our control contribute to those anxieties.  How much control do you have over the economy, for example?  In those circumstances, we pray for change and for wisdom to respond in the best way possible.

But what about the activities in which we voluntarily participate?  Like how we spend time off.  Or what church we attend.  I have been around church folks that make me want to ask the same question.  Why do you deliberately choose to participate in something that makes you so miserable?  Of course the simple answer is to quit.  Give up golf.  Find a different church.  People do that all the time.

But I believe it is not the circumstance, but the attitude that contributes to the misery.  What if I could approach my golf game with an appreciation for a day to get a little exercise and enjoy friendship with my playing partners?  What if I could approach church life with a desire to seek God’s purpose and God’s glory and deliberately encourage my companions on this journey of life?  Attitudes usually don’t change by changing circumstances.  Miserable people usually pack up their misery and take it with them wherever they go.  Encouragers bring hope to their circumstances and infect their companions with hope.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Encourage each other and build each other up.”   

Are we having fun yet?  Yep, I bring my fun with me.