ENJOY
It’s one of my favorite words that my wife says. On the way to a fun outing, she’ll say, “Enjoy!” When I’m headed off to lunch with someone, she’ll say, “Enjoy!” There’s just something about hearing that word that makes the experience even better. Not only does it take away any guilt I might feel for enjoying something she may not get to do, but it also comes with her blessing to enjoy it! Of course, my wife is awesome!
Recently, I’ve noticed others doing it too. A fast-food worker says, “Enjoy,” and I do. The ride operator at Kings Island says, “Enjoy,” and I do. Being encouraged to enjoy something always makes it feel more enjoyable. I’ve started saying it to others as well, which is also enjoyable.
ENJOY LIFE
I believe that God is the giver of all life, and that life is meant to be enjoyed. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon reflects on the brevity and fleeting nature of life, yet also offers valuable wisdom on how to enjoy it. He writes:
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 – “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 3:13 – “And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.” (NKJV)
Life is a gift from God, and everything we have is a gift from Him (James 1:17). Therefore, life is meant to be enjoyed.
ENJOY GOD
The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” When my students write about this, most focus on the first part—that man’s purpose is to “glorify God.” However, the aspect of enjoying God is often overlooked. I fear it may be overlooked by many believers as well.
So, enjoy! Enjoy life! Enjoy the good gifts from our good God! And most importantly, enjoy God Himself—not only in eternity, but starting now and lasting forevermore.
You’ve captured something so simple yet deeply profound. Enjoyment isn’t just about having fun, but about receiving life as a gift from God with gratitude. The way you tied everyday moments of hearing “Enjoy!” to the wisdom of Ecclesiastes is powerful. It reminds me that enjoying life isn’t selfish or trivial. It’s actually obedience to God’s design and a reflection of his goodness. Too often, we focus only on glorifying God through service or sacrifice and forget that he also calls us to enjoy him and his gifts. Your encouragement challenges me to slow down, receive with joy, and see God’s hand in both the small and big blessings of life.
This is something that has definitely been called to my attention recently! I feel that no one ever talks about enjoying God. We truly are meant to enjoy Him, but this is something that is constantly overlooked. I feel that as believers we must realize that there is so much enjoyment to be found in dwelling with the Lord. I feel that this goes hand-in-hand with the concept of joy. There is joy that comes with enjoying God. I can only try to imagine enjoying God for eternity… this is something I cannot even fathom! I believe that learning to enjoy God now is just a glimpse of eternity, this is such a beautiful picture to me.
So often we hone in on the idea of suffering for Christ and enduring trials that we forget that God wants us to enjoy life as well. Back in the Spring of 2024, I went through a very dark period, where a lot of loss occurred in my life. Praise God, I’m in a better place now, but I still catch myself holding my breath, second-guessing myself, and expecting the worst. I’ve had to work on intentionally choosing to enjoy what the Lord has blessed me with, rather than focusing on the dark, negative emotions or even minor inconveniences. Yes, sin has entered the world, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still good things in the world that reflect God’s goodness. We shouldn’t allow the darkness we encounter to ruin the good that is still left in place, because that’s exactly what the enemy would want. Happiness is a fleeting emotion, but thanks to God, we can have joy at all times!
I really enjoyed this post… pun intended! This serves as a strong reminder that when we enjoy, love, and bask in the goodness that God is we are glorifying him just as much as when we are serving. In a way it points us to rest in the goodness of God and live life sometimes exploring the little or large joys of life that God has blessed us with. It reminds me of Psalm 34: 8 saying “taste and see that the Lord is good” Taking time to truly enjoy reminds us of the blessings and beauty that the Lord is good. It allows us to enjoy the times we serve when it is balanced with rest and recovery in the Lord and his things that He has put in the world for us to enjoy! This explains that we take time to enjoy in serving, resting, and exploring in all the joy that we get to live and participate in! Be in joy, sounds very close to enjoy, so take time to be in the everlasting joy of the Lord and taste and see that the Lord is so good, and provides so many good ways to enjoy him and the life He sacrificed so much to give us!
I really liked the point of God being overlooked when it comes into enjoyment. God receiving glory should be something that is enjoyable and so often it can turn into a ritual with no real meaning behind it. Glory should be enjoyable for us since it is a gift. God doesn’t need glory from us but because of what He sent His son to do we have the privilege to glorify Him. That is why we can find enjoyment in it.
This post has made me smile. The oddest phenomenon I have observed in my walk with Christ is that when I am filled by Him-reading scripture, praying, and communing with God-I’m joyful. Genuinely happy to be alive and enjoying life. There is something so beautiful about being a new creation and having a renewed relationship with the creator of the universe. I love the second verse of the hymn “I am His and He is Mine”: “Heav’n above is deeper blue; earth around is sweeter green; something lives in ev’ry hue Christless eyes have never seen. Birds with gladder songs o’erflow; flow’rs with deeper beauties shine; Since I know, as now I know, I am His and He is mine.” It iterates the newfound beauty of creation and life when in view of the good creator. We serve a God who gives good gifts(jms) and created enjoyment. We GET to enjoy life because He gives life (abundantly) and the capacity to enjoy good things.
I loved the line “Being encouraged to enjoy something always makes it feel more enjoyable.” I thought this was good food for thought. As a believer, we are called to enjoy God. But that’s not the end goal. If we are enjoying God, we will also make it a point to encourage others in our joyfulness. We will be so filled with the Holy Spirit that our joy will be overflowing (John 15:11). This overflowing of joy will naturally lead to building others up in enjoyment. A verse that came to mind was Ephesians 4:29, which says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” We are commanded to speak to others words of encouragement and therefore enjoyment as a way of imitating Christ.
I genuinely enjoyed reading this post, and it caused me to think. I often forget that God wants us to enjoy Him and the gifts He gives us, because I am so farmiliar with hearing and believing that life is hard for the Christian. Although this is true to a certain extent, I forget that the ultimate reason we exist is to glorify God because of the true joy He gives us. And true worship can come from that deep and true joy which can come from hard trials or simply from enjoying the life Christ has set before us. I just often forget the ladder is an option, or even possible. This was a great and thought provoking read.