Since I work with students for a living I often hear people argue that following God means not being able to have fun – God's laws are like a cosmic, "no-fun policy" for the world. While I can understand how some people might see things that way, I don't think anything could be farther from the truth. Several years ago I was at Cedar Point with a group of friends (for those of you who haven't heard of it, Cedar Point is an amusement park in Ohio). We were on the Raptor, a suspended roller coast, going up the first hill, and my shoulder harness came unlatched. Now I'm not sure if it came unlatched all the way or if it just came partially unlatched. Nonetheless, it was a very frightening experience. I began getting a little nervous. Now I had been on the Raptor countless times before this, but I had never gone without my should harness, and I wasn't too excited at the prospect of trying out this experience! Thankfully I was able to get the harness to latch again just as we crested the top, and I was safe throughout the whole ride. The people who created the shoulder harness weren't trying to ruin the fun of the riders, they were trying to enable the riders to have the maximum amount of fun. God's laws are similar in that they're not meant to restrict life from being enjoyable, they're the means to an enjoyable life. God isn't down on fun – He created it! He created joy, He created laughter, He created excitement. All of these things are good in the right context. God's laws only restrict so they can set free. And that is very good.
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