That Sounds Fun by Annie F. DownsSample

DAY 3 

What Sounds Fun to You?

Psalm 16:11; John 15:10–11; Galatians 5:22

Fun is a word that isn’t as light and breezy as you might think.

One of my favorite parts of hearing all my podcast guests talk about what sounds fun to them is the variety of answers I receive. People will tell of meals they have had that they’d like to have again, trips they are dreaming of, books they want to read, and people they want to spend time with. But every now and again, they just want to do something normal, self-labeled as “small.” And even though those things aren’t as flashy, fun shows up in those things too. It can be a vacation or a volunteer opportunity, friendship or fried foods. It’s everywhere, if you’re looking. If you let God gift you a glimpse of Eden, He will.

The thing about fun is that the rush always wears off. You know the laughter eventually stops. You know the sun will set, or rise, and the fun of today will end. It is one of the disappointing things about alcohol or a date or anything that seems to promise you a high that always lasts a few minutes less than you hoped it would. It ends. It always does. Even the purest, truest fun doesn’t last forever. It is always a glimpse of something bigger, something we miss.

That doesn’t mean we stop asking What sounds fun to you? In fact, I would say it is more necessary the more you understand that neither joy nor pain last forever, and it is far better to hold them both at the same time than to lean your life too heavily on one or the other. Knowing what sounds fun to you is about more than just filling your time and having an answer to a question at a party. To know what sounds fun to you, what uniquely brings a level of joy and peace and simple rest to your heart, is what reminds you that God’s journey for your life includes glimpses of Eden that show up in smile lines on your face, and laughter that sounds just like you, and art made from your unique spot on this planet.

Make a list of things that delight you. Give this list to God in prayer and ask Him to make His will known to you, and to fill you with the joy of His presence.