Why so serious

A friend of mine is close to 50 yrs. old, and he made this statement “I’m just trying to feed my youth.” I am 49 and am always looking to do the same thing. Before I was 33, life was so serious. I worked, worked, and worked. My life consisted in impressing my wife, bosses, family, and friends. The whole point was to get from here to there.

            After divorce things just might change. For one gal, it’s time for more of what you deserve, and honey I wasn’t it for her. For another fella, it’s time to find out why life just sucks. I love and hate working. I love and hate being a spouse. At times I love and hate being a parent. Maybe I hated life from time to time. So what’s the answer if you felt that way? Some people kill themselves and others just wander aimlessly through the mire of life. I never wanted to be that guy: I wanted to live.

            Parents tell you to be successful (in their eyes). Teachers and preachers expect us to be perfect. In the mirror, I just want to be me. Isn’t that good enough? I think the answer is found in our youth. Ok, people try and reclaim their youth but that’s not what I mean. Why do we stop dreaming, daring, and exploring after we leave school. I know some people do those things later in life but they are usually called reckless, immature, and a host of other names. Isn’t real success in our own mirror?

            What does God have to say about being serious? Well really, God wants us to be serious about three things: him, ourselves, and others. Can’t we be serious about God and live in this world? I for one say we can. I know what is right and wrong in Gods eyes. I love the spiritual in me. Yet, I also love blue seas, green fields and great music. God spends a lot of time telling us to relax. He also encourages us that we are special in his eyes: made for a reason. God also expects us to care about others like he does. Isn’t showing love worth something?

            When we ride a roller coaster our adrenaline goes way up. A great game makes us happy. A chance meeting or miracle in life is thrilling. All these things are reckless, possibly immature, and risky, but they fuel us. Why do adults pursue seriousness at all costs? Isn’t it reasonable to be responsible while living on the edge? Take care of your bills and work hard, but play hard too. The NFL football league is a great example. They play and work so hard. It’s so serious, yet the best players are loose and cocky.

            Too many people expect everyone around them to be mature in their eyes. In the end they want us to be what they can never achieve. I have learned that living well needs to be responsible and playful all at the same time. Ecclesiastes 3 in the Bible says it all:

                        There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2   a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3     a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4     a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6     a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7     a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8     a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace

9 What do workers gain from their toil?