Why Recreational?
“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” Psalms 33:3
One of the more common reservations we hear from our christian friends is the conviction and conditioning around altering one’s state of mind. Modern christianity has preached for generations that altered states of consciousness are sinful or evil.
While we have great respect for the teachings of the church, through experience of our own and many other friends that have also had profound spiritual experiences with the aid of cannabis, we stand firmly that the condition on the heart is king as far as discerning if cannabis consumption is “right” or “wrong.”
We believe that if your desire to consume cannabis stems from emotional wounding that you are trying to stuff or ignore; or if you consume to disconnect from yourself or the people around you; or if your consumption becomes problematic in one way or another, then the condition of your heart is not in alignment to healing, wellness and connection to God.
To be honest, in conversations with christians, it’s easier to “defend” the uses of cannabis in medicinal and even spiritual ways, than it is to defend its use for recreation. However, only you know the condition of your heart and your relationship with God. Only you can determine if and how cannabis can help you, but if there is one thing we would share with our brothers and sisters is that cannabis is fun.
And fun is medicine.
When was the last time you laughed so hard your belly ached? When was the last time you viewed the world with eyes of awe and wonderment? When was the last time you allowed your spirit to play?
Our modern world forces messages of productivity, material abundance and technology from the moment we wake up to the moment we lay our head down at night. We spend so much time attached to screens, desperately trying to earn more, build more, be more, do more, have more. We have forgotten that we are children of God.
We have forgotten how to play.
Cannabis is playful.
We are overworked, overstressed, overcommitted and burning both ends of the candle. Our way of living is not living at all. Many people may criticize and judge the consumption of cannabis for recreation, but to us, it has been such an important part of our journey to wellness and our journey back to God. It helps strip away the burden of responsibilities and facilitates a headspace of childlike innocence and silliness.
When scripture mentions heaven on earth, we don’t believe that our current model of stressed out, disconnected, overwhelmed “normal” human behavior is what that meant.
Salvation is not only about the afterlife. It’s about finding peace, bliss and abounding JOY right here on earth. (“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11) But you have to lay down those heavy human emotions that weigh you down in order to experience heaven in this broken world. You have to release and let go of the idea that your worth is determined by what you do.
Your worth is sanctioned because you exist. God desperately wants to know your heart. Take notes from your kids, or your nieces and nephews, or children in your neighborhood.
Imagine. Create. Play.
I promise you, God will find you in that space.
There is zero shame in using cannabis for fun. Perhaps look at it this way, while you’re consuming cannabis for fun, the plant medicine is still balancing your endocannabinoid system, stimulating your creative centers in the brain, nourishing your immune system, and contributing to internal well-being.
The icing on the proverbial cake is that for a short while, you get to giggle like a child and play as if your life depended on it. Because it does. (“And he said: “Truly I tell you, ‘unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’” Matthew 18:3 NIV)
