I Like to Have Fun
I like to have fun….do you?
What I mean is I like adventure. I love seeing new places. I want to experience new things.
As a teen I didn’t see people my age who were “Christian” doing any of this. They were just SO boring. It seemed the purpose of being a Christian teen was to follow all the rules and be careful to stay between the lines of appropriateness, nothing more.
I chose the other crowd.
At least there was excitement, some risk and a little danger. I was known as the “good girl” in the wild crowd. Not doing all the, so called bad stuff, but walking a fine line of being where the action was but not getting into too much trouble. I yo-yoed between having fun and feeling ashamed of the lies I had to tell and secrets I had to keep to continue living the “fun” life. It was frustrating, fun, and chaotic.
Then one summer I went to a camp. It was called Summit Ministries in the mountains of Colorado. I didn’t know a soul but that first evening I was invited to go on a sunrise hike up Red Mountain. Before sunrise the next morning, bleary eyed and more than a little excited for this new experience with new people, I followed the group up the mountain. We reached the top at sunrise. Sitting on the boulders together we sang some praise songs and talked about our dreams for the future, who we hoped to become, what was important to us.
The guy I was sitting next to told me in a nonchalant way that he planned to become President one day. He then told me his plan of how to get there. I asked him why he wanted to do that and he told me, “I am a Christian and I want to change the world for Christ. I think I can do that best as the President.” I hope to vote for him some day.
I heard the others sharing their dreams, and they were exciting, and big, and extravagant, and risky, and wonderful.
As I made my way down the mountain I realized I had never met a group of people my own age like these people. They were Christians and they were definitely not boring. This was fun. Being a Christian took on a new meaning to me and I was changed.
Obeying God and His Word became a loving map to guide me on my adventures. I wanted to live for Him and discover what He may have for my life.
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105
I had a new view of the kind of people I wanted to surround myself with - Sold out followers of Jesus who live lives of adventure.
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39
I also had a clearer view than ever before of the man I wanted to marry. I decided to make a list of who I wanted in a husband and asked my parents to make their own list for me. Then we compared lists and prayed for that man whoever he would be.
Do you want to know my list? Ok.
Christian
Spiritual leader
Loves to travel
Wants to change the world and knows he can do it
Tall
A cowboy
Strong
Has gone to Summit Ministries
You may think some of those are funny and youre right! But I had decided that My Heavenly Father likes to have fun. He loves to surprise us. He loves a good adventure and he wants to lead us on an adventure of our own if we just decide to follow Him.
-Decide to follow Him. He WILL lead you.
-Ask God for fellow adventurers. He understands friendship and created us to live life together.
Just like I asked God about the man I would marry I encourage you to write out your dreams and then talk to Him about it. Your dreams for your life are safe in His hands. Your Heavenly Father loves to give good gifts to His children.
I can confidently say that living your life for Christ is NOT a boring life. He is worth it. And I am so thankful for the life of adventure he has given me so far.
I want to leave you with some of my favorite advice I have ever been given. Instead of telling friends who are about to leave to “be careful, and stay safe”, tell them, “take risks, have adventures”.
So girl, take risks, have adventures. Live for Him.