A Biblical Analysis of Fun

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I may have a good idea of what you're thinking right now: "Okay, you honestly think you need to analyze FUN?" I'm trying to think of what to say in response to that hypothetical question, but the best thing I can think of as I'm writing this sentence is that people from all belief-systems (not just Christianity) analyze all kinds of subjects according to the intellectual frameworks of their respective belief-systems. So, if you think it's ridiculous to analyze fun from a Biblical perspective but not ridiculous to analyze fun from other perspectives, examine yourself to see why you hold that double-standard. If you think it's ridiculous to analyze fun at all, no matter the perspective, know that fun is always in the heart of the one having it, and different people find different things fun, and the way you understand those differences is by analyzing the thoughts and feelings of those different people.

Anyway, with that half-serious and half-lighthearted introduction, onto the subject of this post! One definition of fun is "what provides amusement or enjoyment" [1]. The meaning of "enjoyment" is evident, but "amusement" may need to be specified. A fitting definition for "amusement," in this context, is "pleasurable diversion" [2]. I think it's clear that "diversion" in the context of fun refers to diversion from work. Therefore, fun is what provides enjoyment and pleasurable diversion from work. So, to know what God's perspective is on fun, we need to know all that the Bible says about what God thinks about things that are simultaneously enjoyments and pleasurable diversions from work (though "pleasurable" and "enjoyments" are overlapping, if not synonymous, terms). Now, it would obviously be too long to do a comprehensive study in this post about what the Bible says about fun, as the term has been defined here, but I do want to lay down some basic facts in this post, and I think they will be both general enough and specific enough to help Christians have and apply a Christian perspective on fun. Now, we must go back to how "pleasurable diversion from work" is one aspect of fun. We know from Scripture that there is legitimate diversion from work (rest) and illegitimate diversion from work (laziness). So, fun (again, as we've defined it in this post) is, in its proper place, something for when you're not working and need rest and refreshment. This doesn't mean that work can't or shouldn't be enjoyable. Quite the contrary: work should be a joy if you're doing it for the Lord (Colossians 3:23)! It's just, again if, by fun, we mean pleasurable diversion, then fun is a joy unique to rest. Another fact to consider is that, for the Christian, fun consists of godly pleasures and joys. This doesn't mean merely not enjoying things that God's Word outlaws, but rather enjoying those things that God Himself says, in His Word, that He finds pleasure in.

So, to conclude with a general principle, Christian fun is taking pleasure in and enjoying things that God enjoys while resting from work.

[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fun

[2] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amusement