Fun

February 9, 2024

You are invited to this series of the Daily Reflections on "Fun."

When was the last time you had fun? Where were you, who were you with, and what were you doing? Do you have as much fun as you used to have? Do you desire more fun?

Sometimes, we get so distracted by our duties that we forget to have fun. We have many responsibilities and commitments, leaving little free time for "frivolity." But we are creatures of love, and love is not only duty but freely flowing energy. So, as being of love, how do we keep love flowing? One of the answers is 'by having fun."

Having fun excites our playful spirit and helps us to re-embody our essence. In essence, we are free from our ego's constraints and restraints. That spiritual freedom loosens tensions that have been collected in all three of our intelligence centers.

We cannot neglect our duties, which are the "musts" of every life. For example, we must care for ourselves financially, mentally, physically, socially, educationally, and spiritually. These take time, resources, and, most of all, energy. But in our effort to do as well as we can in all of these aspects, we push fun into the corner of our experience.

Another way to say it is that we deplete our life force in taking care of life. Many of us treat our duties as if they were an emergency. This creates stress because our being says it can't breathe because it is under continuous pressure.

Remember Saturday mornings when we were children? Chances are you awoke and strolled into the family room to watch cartoons. The entire day was ahead, and we could do anything we wished because there was no school. Most of us spent those days with family and pets and playing with friends.

Children like to play because they are discovering and creating who they are. They are learning their abilities and inabilities. They are finding out how to win and how to lose. They are learning where they stand in the neighborhood pecking order. It's fun to pretend and try on all sorts of identities to see which ones fit. Fun is when swinging on the swing set, we reach the apex of our ride, leap into the air with outstretched arms, and during our all-to0-short ride, yell, "I'M FLYING!!!"

Inquiry: Why would you not make time for fun?

Dear God,

It is still fun to swing. It is not fun to fly out of the swing anymore, but fun to remember. For the capacity to re-create myself by having fun, I am so thankful. Amen

To receive Dr. Howell’s Reflections in your inbox everyday, complete the form below to begin your journey into who God has made you to be. The path to wholeness starts now!