Hi friends! I hope you’ve had a great week and are enjoying “That Sounds Fun”! I have to admit that I got teary eyed and immediately starting writing in my journal after reading this week’s chapters. I don’t know what it is about Annie’s writing but she always seems to put words to what I’m feeling and figuring out. I look forward to this discussion and what your thoughts are on this book so far. Who knew fun could be so serious?! đ
What Sounds Fun to You?
*Off the top of your head, what sounds fun to you right now?
East Pole Coffee Company
*Have you ever been grounded – forced to pause or take a break from the way you expected things to go – the way Annie was from traveling?
*“We have lost Eden. We have lost peace. We have lost the foundation upon which genuine fun can be built. And we have to go search for it”. What do these words cause you to think and feel? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Ebenezer Road
*Do you ever feel abandoned or alone? Why do you think that is?
*When you hear the word HOME, what does it make you think of?
The Movie Theater
*“If you have eyes for providence, you will always see it. If you look for God’s movement in your daily life, you will see Him.” Have you seen this to be true in your own life?
*“Neither joy nor pain lasts forever, and it is far better to hold them both at the same time than to lean our life too heavily on one or the other.” Where do you see this truth in your life?
Scripture of the Week
Colossians 3:17
1 Corinthians 10:31
Proverbs 17:22
Prayer of the Week
Father God, thank You for creating us to be able to enjoy and have fun. What a gift! Help open our eyes to Your providence Father, to see You moving in our lives every single day. Help us to balance joy and pain in our lives. They are opposite sides of the same coin it seems and it can be so easy to get caught up in one or the other. Would You help us to remember that You are with us each day? Encourage us when we feel sad and help us to lean on You as we go about our daily lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Week
*Read the “Joys of Being An Amateur” section
I need some fun right now, so this book has come at the perfect time! đ
I think the older we get, the more likely we struggle with having fun because life is busy and complicated and honestly, in a lot of ways, boring. đ As grown-ups, we have responsibilities – and we should be responsible. But because most of âadultingâ is not fun, we donât think about it very much. Generally, we tend to think we canât, wonât, or shouldnât have it in our lives simply because weâre not kids anymore.
I do agree with the author that Eden is what we have ultimately lost, and believe itâs so important to establish this because thatâs the source of our missing out on not only fun, but in life as a whole. It wasnât supposed to be this way – and I think Iâm only now really realizing this and grappling with what that truly means.
Making our way âback to Edenâ wonât ultimately happen until after God creates the new heaven and earth, and yet, we can start being on this path wherever we find ourselves now in this life.
Trying to focus on what God is doing in my daily life is something I wrestle with because I am a planner and tend to be so futuristic minded that the present gets swept away. However, when I intentionally try to focus on how He is moving in my day-to-day, I catch glimpses of HimâŚand realize I need to move out of His way more often. đ
I have a big family: a husband and five stepsons. I donât get to be alone as much as Iâd like, but itâs funny how I can feel alone sometimes even with all of us being together.
I feel deeply and usually put all my eggs in one basket when going after or doing something. So itâs no surprise I lean too heavily on the sense of joy and pain at any given time.
Because I (we) have lost Eden, we grasp for joy, happiness, contentment, etc. in a variety of ways with so much more intensityâŚand still come up feeling empty. Because we have lost Eden, we feel forms of pain (frustration, anger, fear, etc.) so much more intensely as well.
Why do we do this, feel this way? I think, because we are relying on ourselves or other earthly things to fill our void(s). I love this C.S. Lewis quote: âIf we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.â
The fun we are looking for is fleeting, at least in this life. Yet Jesus says in John 10:10b, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.â I believe the abundant life can be, should be, fun – but itâs all in how we define fun. Iâve heard it said God doesnât want us to be happy (as it relates to this world); He wants us to be holy, set apart. He wants us to experience the abundant life He has for us, and wonât try to trick us into something that wonât live up to its expectations – thatâs what the enemy does.
I believe Eden was fun in addition to being perfect. We arenât perfect, but our God is. And He pursued – is pursuing – us so we donât have to chase after anything else to be satisfied. Whatâs the catch? Weâre the catch. Thatâs surrender in its most basic form.
It will take a lifetime to explore all of who God is and what our purposes are in Him. But it will be – it is – worth it. I want to daily surrender to Him because He is trustworthy and completely satisfies. I want Him to catch me. That sounds fun.