Almost every morning before I leave for work, my wife does three things to me: 1) She gives me a kiss, 2) She affirms her love for me, and 3) She usually says (with much enthusiasm), “Have fun!” I love the first two items, but the third item usually makes me roll my eyes or gently huff under my breath. Why? Because my wife knows how I feel about that statement. She knows that I firmly believe that having fun is not one of the major priorities in life. Indeed, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do regardless of the fun factor. She believes these things as well, but because she truly loves me, she tries to get under my skin by repeating this statement to me almost every morning. Ironically enough, she is having fun by telling me to “have fun!”

But in all seriousness, it’s not always about having fun. And please hear me, I’m not anti-fun. I love to have fun and enjoy life, but sometimes life isn’t so fun. Sometimes tasks are not that enjoyable. Sometimes things in life are just plain ho-hum and boring. Can I get a witness? So, what are better movers and shakers in terms of motivation besides having fun?

1. When you can’t have fun, stay committed. Marriage isn’t always fun. Stay committed. Remind yourself that your commitment to your marriage isn’t contingent upon your feelings of fun, but the promise you made long ago. Work isn’t always fun. Stay committed. Remind yourself that the challenges of work aren’t given to you by God for your entertainment, but for your growth and development. Church isn’t always fun. Stay committed. Remind yourself that churches are filled with imperfect, broken people (just like you), but God will use such people in your life despite their flaws. Yes, when you can’t have fun in these spheres of life, stay committed and, take heart, as you stay committed, your feelings will eventually follow and you’ll have moments of fun again.
2. When you can’t have fun, be grateful. There is tendency for us to become dissatisfied and greedy when we are bored with life. That is to say, we become dissatisfied with what we have and become hungry for something more. When you find yourself not having fun, remind yourself that you do not deserve all of the current blessings in your life. Yes, you read that correctly. Don’t buy into the cultural lie that you deserve all that you have in life. You don’t! All the good things that you have in this life come from a good and generous God. Yes, even if you worked hard for what you have, who gave you the strength and energy to work hard? That’s right, God Himself. So, when you can’t have fun in this life, be grateful for what you do have in this life.
3. When you can’t have fun, remember Jesus. As Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he wasn’t having fun. As Jesus was dying on the Cross of Calvary, he wasn’t having fun. As the sins of the entire world were placed on His shoulders, Jesus was not having fun. But what drove these actions on Jesus’ part? Two words: Duty and Love. That is to say, duty towards His Father’s will and love towards us. How incredible! Yes, when you can’t have fun, remember Jesus (His duty and love) and be motivated to continue onward and forward.