by Joanie Butman
Spending summer at the beach surrounded by family is always fun and a good opportunity for field research. That’s what I’ve been busy doing, hence the absence of blog posts. It’s also conducive to long morning walks where I listen to my favorite spiritual gurus. It’s the simplicity of life here that allows for lots of playtime and long, lazy conversations about nothing and everything.
During one of those walks I listened to a Rick Warren devotional about creating awesome families. He revealed the top quality that all awesome families share: namely playfulness. Families that play together tend to have better relationships.
I don’t consider myself a parenting expert – quite the opposite as I am now privy to lots of ‘shenanigans’ that occurred on my watch without my knowledge. I keep telling my kids I don’t want to know, but now that they are well into adulthood they relish sharing stories of what they ‘got away with.’ Some I knew about and chose to ignore, but others shocked me that I could be so oblivious.
Regardless of my plethora of parenting faux pas, there’s one thing I got right – I played with my kids. I was the fun mom. Sadly, they outgrew my “funness” long before I did. There were even times in their teens when I was known to mumble through clenched teeth, “We are going to have fun even if it kills us.” On those days, they would have gladly obliged if they could have gotten away with it.
Too many Christians take life, and themselves, too seriously. There are definitely times to be serious – too many. Life is hard. We need to build some play into it to offset our labors. There’s a reason the maxim “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” resonates so strongly. We need to play. Laughter and recreation is an integral part of life. We connect and learn through playing. Play reveals things about us. The table talk that occurs during a board game probably wouldn’t happen any other way.
For someone with the maturity of a big kid, obeying God’s command to enjoy life comes easily. In fact, I was in Central Park last month going down the slide with a group of children. One little girl about five watched me with curiosity. She finally mustered up enough courage to ask why I was acting like a child. “Because it’s more fun!” I replied without hesitation. “But you’re too big!” she insisted. “You’re never too big to play,” I answered. Then I shared my hard-earned wisdom: “Don’t be in a hurry to grow up. Kids have way more fun. Being a grownup is boring.”
So, my choice point today is simply to choose to incorporate playtime into your life. It’s what makes the journey more enjoyable. Sarah Young also emphasizes God’s desire for us to enjoy His creation. The same day Rick Warren was preaching on playfulness, her devotional, Learn to Enjoy Life More, landed in my inbox. I will leave you with her words from Jesus Calling:
Learn to enjoy life more. Relax, remembering that I am God with you. I crafted you with enormous capacity to know Me and enjoy My Presence. When you walk through a day with childlike delight savoring every blessing, you proclaim your trust in me, your ever-present Shepherd. The more you focus on My Presence with you, the more fully you can enjoy life. Glorify Me through your pleasure in Me. Thus, you proclaim My Presence to the watching world.*
Jesus Calling, August 13
Good and Plenty Ball Pit at Museum of Ice Cream!