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[Note: <\/strong>This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 1<\/strong> page.]<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have you noticed that some people really enjoy being Christians and others seem completely bored by the Lord\u2019s business? You may have also noticed that the former group is usually ready and willing to do anything they can to further the Cause while the latter must be begged or baited to elicit even a minimal level of service. What makes the difference? Perhaps the answer is found in an article entitled \u201cWhy Fun Is Fun,\u201d in a Reader\u2019s Digest,<\/em> May 1977. The article describes the research of a psychologist, Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. His conclusion is that ultimate fun or enjoyment is derived when one so completely immerses himself in what he is doing that he loses his sense of self and time. Dr. \u201cC\u201d calls this complete involvement flow.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The following unique features are present when one is in flow<\/em>: One centers his attention intensely on the activity involved; he loses track of time\u2014it passes very rapidly; he loses self-consciousness and has the sense of being in full control and of well-being. Another important factor Dr. \u201cC\u201d discovered is that for one to enter the flow <\/em>state, a given activity must provide a challenge at the outer limits of one\u2019s abilities, without testing him beyond his limits. If we are not challenged, we become bored, but if challenged too far, fear and anxiety replace enjoyment.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There is much food for thought in the doctor\u2019s conclusions. There is also much agreement with Scripture in them. Why do many not enjoy serving Christ? Because they have remained detached from Him in spirit and substance. Paul enjoyed his religion, and he tells us why: \u201cI have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me\u201d (Gal. 2:20). He had so centered his attention on Christ that he lost his self-consciousness. Most experienced preachers can identify with this concept. Often a young mother will apologize for the crying of her baby during a sermon and the preacher will confess to being so involved in the sermon he was preaching that he didn\u2019t hear her baby. He was too involved in what he was saying to notice. This probably explains why Paul preached until midnight in Troas (Acts. 20:7) and why the time flies before a preacher realizes it when he is preaching. One loses a sense of time when he is totally immersed in an enjoyable activity.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Many Scriptures come to mind (Mat. 6:33; 22:37; Luke 9:23, etc.) They require total involvement; they tell us how to enjoy being a Christian.<\/span><\/p>\n [Note:<\/strong> I wrote this article for, and it was published in the July 7, 1977, edition of the Granbury Gospel, <\/em>weekly bulletin of the Granbury Church of Christ, Granbury, Texas, of which I was editor.<\/span><\/p>\n Attribution:<\/strong> From thescripturecache.com<\/em>; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Views: 0[Note: This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 1 page.] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have you noticed that some people really enjoy being Christians and others seem completely bored by the Lord\u2019s business? You may have also noticed that the former group is…<\/p>\n