Day 117 - Pleasure
Scripture focus: Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible. Proverbs 10:23 NLT
Living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible
Is pleasure enough? I ask, because fun sounds - well, fun! Who doesn't love to have a fun time?
When interpreting a proverb, we must beware. This particular verse is not suggesting that all fun is foolish and wrong. I think the writer of proverbs is trying to tell us that if we're foolish, we may not have what it takes to recognize that wrong doing is not only wrong, it's also not fun. And while I'm pontificating, I want to suggest to you that wisdom isn't the same thing as performing perfectly, doing right, and never, ever making a mistake. Sensible isn't what happens to folks who grow up and outgrow their ability to play. Sensible means, according to my dictionary - one who is possessed of good mental perception.
Years ago, I had a girlfriend who invited me to go to the beach every summer with her family. It was fun. She had some great bathing suits, and she shared with me! We would get incredibly sun burned - which we all know is wrong, but back in the day, we called that fun. Other than the yearly sun-fests, I don't think we did anything too terribly wrong on those weeks (her dad was quite watchful) - but in hindsight, these trips were all about fun.
Once I grew up and had my own family, I soon lost the ability to spend days in the sun in a skimpy suit worrying only about my tan line. Trips to the beach turned into treks. They required sun screen and life jackets, water and snacks, beach buckets and umbrellas. They required bathing suits that covered stretch marks and other signs of motherhood. As our family aged up, the requirements changed. Suddenly, we had become the adults with the watchful eye; a new generation was discovering skimpy bathing suits and the lure of a great tan. Skim boards and kayaks, sodas and beach chairs, protective gear for cell phones and ipods - all lugged down early by the adults but used mostly by the young.
Frankly, going to the beach isn't as much fun as it used to be. But it is exceedingly pleasurable.
The conversation that springs up under the shade of those annoying umbrellas is incredible. Nights don't find me cruising the boardwalk with my girlfriends, which was once so much fun. Now I love playing bridge or Cranium or simply sitting around chatting with those I love. There was a day when I could jog down the beach without worrying about whether I'd re-injure my heels - and that was fun. But it is pleasurable - and far more satisfying - to walk down the beach and engage in rich conversation with friends and family.
Fun is fun. Pleasure is better. Pleasure is what we can experience when we realize - with our entire being - the deeper meaning carefully tucked into a moment. Pleasure takes fun to a whole new level - and it's awesome.
Living wisely isn't about always doing the right thing, it's about finding God in the midst of all things. That's sensible!
Recommended reading: Judges 6 in the morning; Luke 23 and Proverbs 14 in the evening
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