“Mama, warum bist du traurig?”
“Alles in Ordnung, Judah, Mami will nur keine Hausaufgaben machen.”
“Warum?”
“Weil es so schwer ist”
“Aber Mama, wenn etwas schwer ist, muss man es TROTZDEM machen! Gott kann dir helfen!”
“Mama, why are you sad?”
“It’s ok, Judah, Mami just doesn’t want to do homework right now.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s so difficult.”
“But Mama, when something is difficult, we have to do it ANYWAY! God can help you!”
I love Judah’s sensitive and empathetic heart. And, oh, how humbling it is when that little 3-year-old heart speaks Truth to me. You’re right, Judah. Just because something is difficult, it doesn’t mean we quit. No, we work hard. We do what we need to do. We take care of what the Lord has entrusted us with that very day. We are good stewards. Even when we don’t feel like it.
I have been very conscious lately of the quite overwhelming use of the word “fun” in the English language. Everything “sounds fun.” Anything we do “will be fun.” And who doesn’t constantly ask, “Did you have fun?”
But since when is FUN the measure of how successful or fulfilling my day was? Since when is having FUN the goal for my children as I raise them each day?
God never promises that this life will be fun. He DOES promise that He rewards the faithful, watches over those who love and fear Him, and has an amazing, beyond-anything-you-can-ever-imagine plan for our lives. That plan, most likely, does not have “fun” as a priority.
So will I go forth in life devoid of all joy and laughter? Of course not. The Lord has given us so much to enjoy and be thankful for and calls us to PRAISE HIS NAME and SING HIM A NEW SONG!
But I will strive to stop seeking after the feeling rather than the obedience. I will do what is right even when it’s just plain old hard. When it involves sitting down in front of my computer for hours on end, trudging through my 120-page Linguistics Write-Up. When it’s not fun.
Thanks, Judah, for the reminder.