Tip of My Iceberg

We have an annual celebration at the end of our cycle of working with our staff who have chosen to invest a year here at our headquarters. It began more than fifteen years ago and has morphed into a huge barbecue for all attendees. Water slides add to the fun.

We’ve got a remarkably large back yard, which gave us space for two water slides, side by side, where both kids and adults could enjoy a break from the Florida heat and a time to relax with friends made over the year. Soon, all of them will move onto other endeavors and another group will begin. Again.

What kept me smiling all afternoon was the sheer fun everyone was having. Smiles abounded, on the kids and adults alike. What had been a tough year for many–story work is a challenging journey when you’re asked to look at what brought you to this point in your life–ended with laughter, clapping, hoots, and hollers as people went down the slides and lounged in conversation with one another.

We need fun. Life is hard for all of us. Wars, poverty, abuse, hatred, unfairness, and pain all contribute to the heavy weights on our hearts and minds. Rather than focusing on such discomfort and disruption, society has made it easy to keep our minds on social media and video games and seeing what others are doing to have a good time.

None of those things can fill us with the joy of shared experiences with others, people who come alongside and encourage or uplift us.

Job, the man in the Bible who experienced more loss in his lifetime than many of us could imagine, never turned his back on God, even in the pain. Even when his friends and wife tried to find blame in him for the reason he experienced so much hurt, he replied:

“He (God) will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” Job 8:21

Job realized what all those who believe in Jesus understand–His gift of life, forgiveness, and love unlimited can’t be taken from us. No matter what our circumstance.

The author C.S. Lewis, in his book “The Four Loves”, stated:

“Don’t let your happiness depend on something you can lose.”

Most everything in life can be lost–our family, friends, health, savings, and dreams. But the love of the Lord can never be lost. His delight in His own is limitless. His joy in us is infinite. He created us to be able to pour out His love on us.

It’s not something we think about much, but knowing God is fun–because it’s freeing and full of joy and the guarantee of His love.

I can get behind fun like that.