I saw a car commerical the other day (you can watch it below) that made me think about God. The gist of the commercial was that, "Fun can obviously change behavior for the better."
Because my brain is wired to connect things back to girls' ministry (does anyone else do that all the time???), I started wondering what it would be like if we helped girls understand that a relationship with God is meant to be fun.
Fun is a flippant word. Makes me think more like a trip to an amusement park or a night out with friends. That's not the kind of superficial joy that I think God intended for believers to experience because they're in relationship with Him. But the commerical makes a good point nevertheless. People are more likely to be involved with something if it's fun. Pleasurable. Enjoyable. They're more likely to want to participate if it is positive, not negative.
And therein lies the problem with God. For some girls, unfortunately, God is not on their list of things they enjoy, things that bring them joy, things that they find positive or even neutral. They think God is out to do them harm. He's mean. Vindictive. Out to strike them down with a lightning bolt when they mess up. Some think He is up there, somewhere, keeping the world in order, but not interested or involved in their everyday struggles. Aloof. A relationship with God is about doing a bunch of things to keep God happy and things to avoid so you don't tick Him off. There's no surprise, mystery, curiosity. Just keeping sin in check, attitudes in order. Maintenance.
Which begs the question: How do girls formulate their understanding of God?
How do they begin to concept in their minds and hearts this Diety who created them? Such a spiritual formation takes place over a long period of time, with a myriad of contributing factors, including parental involvement, social constructs, pop culture (remember the 80s version of God demonstrated by Madonna???), and... you guessed it... the church.
Which leads to another question...what are you and I doing, both positively and negatively, to help girls develop a healthy perspective on what it means to be in relationship with God? How are we helping---or hurting---a girls' spiritual formation?
Which leads to the most basic question of all...what is your relationship with God like? Do girls see joy in you? Do girls see you enjoying God? Do you enjoy God?
I've been reading through the psalms from finish to start (long story) and I'm amazed at the number of times that the psalms talks about the joy that comes with a relationship with God (21:6; 33:3; 47:1; 51:12; 65:8; 100:1). But if you were to poll many Christians today and ask them for adjectives that describe their relationship with God, I seriously doubt that the word "joy" would be the first one on the list. Or even on the list at all.
The commercial has made me think about how I might be somehow responsible for giving others a warped perception about God. Not that I would view God with a flippant attitude. Or as Santa Claus who gives me whatever I want (another perception girls often have). But I wonder how much I communicate joy in a relationship with God. That walking with Him is an adventure. That when you think about it, God is pretty stinkin' funny. Any trip to the local zoo will prove that to be true.
I want girls to understand that a relationship with God is just that---a relationship. It's meant to be full of life and vigor and turns and twists and ups and down and questions and answers, pain and, yes, joy.
Girls' ministy is so much more than teaching girls how to manage their sin. It's more than teaching them to wait until marriage to have sex or to dress more modestly or to speak more nicely. It's about teaching them their chief end, their purpose on this planet: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
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