Skip to main content

Silliness Is Just Fun

A small look back at what I've shared so far reveals the moment all this silliness began: It was after a game of nothing my son and I played. The game stuck in my mind for some reason, and so I asked the whole family, "What makes silliness important?" They gave their answers, going round the table quick-like, and I was stunned by the ease with which they replied. First answer: "It's a sign of joy." And it is. Second answer: "Because we are silly." We are. Silly. And important.

Then came the third: "It's just fun." So here we are.

I still use the Bible my youth group leader gave me in junior high. It's an NIV Study Bible with helpful notes and explanations. Sometimes I see the notes I wrote in the margins and cringe; other times I'm thankful to have a history of my errors, my growth, and God's faithfulness. As I thought about my son's answer -- It's just fun -- I remembered a small note I jotted down next to Psalm 104.26.

It reads: "Have fun!" (And I drew a smiley face, too.)

This led me to studying the verse a bit. I looked at the English Standard Version, and that made me want to see more interpretations of the same verse. Below, I've typed several different versions of Psalm 104.26, beginning with the first two I just mentioned:

NIV: "There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there."

ESV: "There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it." (There's a footnote on this version that reads, "Or: you formed to play with." I like that idea very much, the idea that God would make a creature to play with him.)

KJV: "There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein."

ICB (International Children's Bible -- which I didn't know existed until this week, but is apt, no?): "Ships travel over the ocean. And there is the sea monster Leviathan, which you made to play there." 

TLB: "And look! See the ships! And over there, the whale you made to play in the sea."

The Message: "Ships plow those waters, and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them."

First, I have to admit I had fun looking all those up, reading the different versions, imagining the play -- the wild play. It reminds me of Where the Wild Things Are. The words -- they make me smile! Leviathan (both big L and little l), sea monster (in a children's Bible no less!), whale, dragon -- frolic, play, romps! The words alone are enough to answer for silliness, for fun.

You've never romped with a gaggle of children? Neither have you frolicked? Splashed at least? Why not? Our God has -- and does every day, evidently, with the largest of his creatures (by earthly standards, anyway).

But to what end? Why silliness? Why fun? I suppose it's like asking a small girl why she runs. To what end? Why all the running? Is there something we're getting to? She might answer, "I like to run." Or, "Because it's so nice outside," which is no answer for our tired legs. "Because I can." That one is the most striking of all, isn't it?

I run because I can run. The whale plays with the Spirit of God because it can play with the Spirit of God. Fun was made because God could make it -- and he makes and remakes it every time we enter into it. In fact, we participate in all the making, and that's just as wonderful a part of the fun as any other.

Must you keep on asking why? I know you are, because I am, and it makes me feel like the crusty old adult that I've become. Yes, we question fun. We question silliness. Well, when it comes down to it, we question God: "Why in the world did you create -- " then fill in the blank.

But look at that question again. Just for a moment, if you will. Now, don't fill in the blank. That's the question, isn't it? Why did he do all this? That's where the silliness -- the fun -- leads me. He made us to run, ride the waves, laugh at awkward noises, and he made us to do it together, and with him.

"I want to be silly with you." That's God speaking, to you and to me. That's just fun.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cottonwood

Let me tell you the story of this tree. It's around 7 years old--I know this because I pulled it out of a crack the first spring it popped up. I was walking with some students along the sidewalk, their chatter filling the air, and I spotted it: 3 or 4 sets of leaves waving like a mini flag right next to a car tire. It had rained a day or two before, so when I gently pulled on the trunk--which was more like a twig--it came up easily, roots and all. "What are you doing?" One of my students asked. "Saving this tree," I said. We headed inside to find a cup of water, and I explained just how I intended to save the tree. "It's dying." I assured them it would live. I explained--again--that if I left the roots in water and later planted and soaked it, it had a good chance. "It's dying." It's over seven years later, and every once in a while I remind one of the students with me that day that the tree is still alive. I've replanted it a
Post a Comment
Read more

Silliness Solidifies Relationships

On February 8th, I posted an introduction of sorts called "Toward a Manifesto of Silliness." Every week since then I've written about silliness, mostly as a way to meditate on and answer the question: What makes silliness important? My family and I talked it over, and here are our answers: "Silliness is a Sign of Joy." "Silliness is Important Because We are Silly." "Silliness is Just Fun." "Silliness Helps Bring Balance." Thinking on and writing about those answers helped this last silly answer grow -- I had an idea at first, but those initial answers shaped how I thought/think about silliness. It was a suspicion that began the day my youngest son and I played our game of nothing. Remember? All this began with nothing. Try to imagine: First, we sat side by side, the whole room bright from the sun. Soon, he draped his arms around my neck, and because of the faces we'd been making, laughter took over. His brothers were close by,
1 comment
Read more

A Return to Silliness in a Song

Some time ago, I wrote about silliness  (and more recently here ), but I come back to it because I need it--and because I can't help it. Nothing is quite like the pressure of Self Importance, and I'm so much more likely to snap at you when, clearly, my agenda is The Agenda. So, let's try something. I'll set my agenda down if you will. Deal? I'll even set mine down first--there; it looks so much smaller on the floor, doesn't it? Now it's your turn--for we've made a deal, and we have a song to sing. Please, silly songs don't work all that well when our arms are weighed down. Good--I know you feel better because I do, too. Now for the song. It's called "A Song Best Sung to Little Ones," and it goes like this: Wiggle your toes and scrunch up your nose-- Yes, like that--for you have them! Your toes And your nose, now what do they knows? How to wiggle and how to scrunch! "And what of my stuffy bears? What of Their noses and wiggledy toes
Post a Comment
Read more