Why Whimsy?

What is whimsy and why is it important?

Fairy dust, tea parties, frills, flounces, everything quaint and fanciful and creative. Sure, that's part of it (and I do have a special place in my heart for pretty things!), but I see those things as a whimsical aesthetic.

What I'm primarily exploring here is a whimsical outlook or way of seeing the world. But before we can talk about this outlook, we need to explore an even bigger view. Trust me, we'll come back to this.

Comedy or Tragedy?

I love a good Shakespearean comedy. It's a predictable story form with a beginning, middle, and a wedding at the end. You get hilarious characters and devious villains, real conflict and resolution. And of course that witty banter.

Even though you can't see the next plot twist, you know in the end the good guys will triumph, get married, and the troublemakers will get their just deserts. Sound familiar? Let's look at the narrative we live in, for story it is.

~ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, a beautiful place for His beloved bride-to-be.

~ In the middle, she is by turns negligent, adulterous, remorseful, thankful. The evil villain is at work, wreaking havoc. But then - plot twist! - the hero comes and in the darkest moment he makes a great sacrifice for his beloved. He leaves her with a promise to return and bring her to the beautiful home he's preparing for her.

~ In the end, he will come to defeat the villain and bring his bride to the wedding feast and her new home. And they will live happily ever after.

In our modern (or postmodern) culture, we tend to think of life as a tragedy. Most people don't even believe there's an an author behind it. Just 8 billion confused people pasting their own tragic tales in a chaotic scrapbook. No wonder our generation is so suicidal. No hope. No humour. No happy ending.

As Christians we are the church, Christ's bride. We get to live knowing that the story (HIS-story) is already written. We get to walk the pages looking forward to the wedding and our perfect "happily ever after." Yes, we are groaning. Yes, we are waiting. And yes, it is absolutely worth waiting for the prince to kill the dragon and rescue us.

Living and Laughing

This is where whimsy comes in. The playfulness, the humour, the seemingly little things. If we know the ending, what have we to be afraid of? Proverbs 31:25 says this of an excellent woman:

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. (ESV)

This woman has nothing to fear. In fact, she laughs in the face of calamity. The Lord is her shepherd, she lacks nothing. He is her Groom, and he'll make it all right in the end. He is good, so she does what he asks of her.

Because we too often think we are the main character in a tragic drama, we take ourselves way too seriously. Maybe you're just a girl who likes her home comforts, and your parents just told you they're renovating the house. Your family will be living out of one bedroom and the ensuite bathroom for three months - what could be worse?

Don't feel sorry for yourself. That's the devil tempting you not to trust that God's still in control of the story. Laugh.

Thank you Lord for this opportunity to learn to love my messy family in close quarters. And for the hilarious situation. You're pretty good at this comedic writing. But I'm looking forward to living in Your clean and comfortable palace one day. For now, a bathtub can actually be a fairly comfortable bed.

You're not the main character. You're also not a victim of a relentless arbitrary tragedy written by the devil. Look for the humour. Let yourself see the irony. It's always there. Don't let the darkness keep you from seeing God's sense of humour.

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together... He who sits in the heavens laughs; The Lord holds them in derision. (Psalm 2:1-2,4. ESV)

All the kingdoms of the earth have no power over the LORD. Life's hard when the powers of the world are against you, but He knows what He's doing. Trust Him. Live without fear of the future. Laugh.