 Last month, I wrote about how I chose to allow myself to have fun. And it really has changed how I’m viewing life and writing. But at I’ve been thinking through those ideas, I came to another question: why do we so often assume fun things can’t be authentic or important? As a teen, I knew I wanted to write, but I wasn’t yet sure what that would look like. At the same time, I also had very strict boundaries on what I was allowed to read or watch, so I grew up with a lot of Christian films of *ahem* varying quality. There’s just not a lot of range in Christian films, you know? You can either choose “based on a true story” or “fictional person receives a fictional miracle.” That’s what I had, so that’s what I watched. I’d finish a movie and go to write . . . and I just couldn’t summon the words. I mean, that girl in the movie literally had her arm bit off by a shark. And I’m just writing my Anastasia-inspired heist story. I loved that Anastasia-inspired heist story. And I’ve loved what I’ve written afterwards. I find so much joy in those stories. But I wasn’t seeing many stories like that. So I worried my stories might not be important. Maybe they were a waste of time. Maybe someone else’s story deserved it more. Maybe my story was just too fun. And maybe, if my stories were too fun, I couldn’t glorify God with them. The thing about a lot of those Christian films I kept comparing myself to? Some of them weren’t authentic. (Please note that there were some notable exceptions to that rule.) As I became an adult, I was able to broaden my horizons and experiment with films and stories. I discovered what I really, truly liked. And I discovered what an authentic story truly looks like. (For the record, I did find quite a few authentic stories in Christian fiction.) And they were fun. How could that be? First off, don’t get me wrong. There is absolutely a time to be serious. A girl getting her arm bitten off by a shark isn’t fun, nor is it funny, and it shouldn’t be treated as such. I’ve written before about how I want to tackle some really serious topics like mental health and trauma. But I found fun stories that still dealt with those serious, important things. For instance, you’re likely aware that I’m a huge Disney fun. Even as an adult, I still love rewatching my faves. They’re fun animated movies, how important could they be? And yet, some of them still have incredibly deep, authentic things to say. (I could give examples, but trust me, that would become a whole ‘nother blog post.) And after I watched, say a Disney movie, I noticed I didn’t feel that overwhelming dread. I’ll likely never be a girl who lost her arm to a shark, and I’ll likely never tell that story. But something like a Rapunzel retelling that subtly deals with a topic like abuse? Well, that’s not too far out of my league. The best part is, I can point to so many “fun” stories that had a deep impact on me. And if fun stories had an impact on me, then maybe my fun stories could have an impact on others. Maybe it was important enough after all. I think we have the idea that if something is too fun, then it can’t be important. And some of the most important things in life aren’t fun. We have to get up and go to work whether we want to or not. There are appointments to attend and phone calls to make, and we’d like to put them off, but we can’t if we’re going to be a safe, healthy person. But you know what, there’s so much serious stuff out there. If I can talk about the serious stuff and add a dash of fun at the same time, why wouldn’t I? Because there is so much fun stuff out there, too. And you know who put it there? God did. God dabbles in both the fun and the serious. So a story of mine can never be too fun to be insignificant, to not glorify Him. I’m always learning things about my writing, and lately I’ve realized that this is what I want my stories to be. I’m all about the authenticity. I’m all about talking about the hard stuff. But I also want to tell a story that helps you escape for a while. I want to write a story that you can return to again and again for comfort. I want to give you a little fun. Luckily, I can do both at the same time. Is there something in your life that seems too insignificant, maybe too much fun? Sure, my examples were about writing, but it’s not just in writing. God is the Giver of all good gifts, so whatever your fun thing is, it’s not too small or unimportant for Him.
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