Welcome! I’m glad you’re here as we push pause on the worry and striving of the day and look for the rest and beauty in the places we stand. If you’re not already, you can subscribe below to get this weekly email in your inbox.
Spend any amount of time with children under the age of 8 and you’ll likely notice their natural disposition towards play and creativity. They can make most anything into a game and if prompted to share, you’d discover their imaginations are nothing short of amazing!
I’ve always loved the story of Peter Pan. It’s the epitome of imaginative tales as it includes fairies, flying, pirates, and at the heart of it a boy who doesn’t want to grow up. One of my favorite adaptations of the story is the movie Hook. In it Robin Williams plays Peter Pan who chose to leave Neverland and is now grown into an adult with all of the responsibilities that brings. He’s forgotten who he was and has lost his imaginative spirit. My favorite scene comes when he’s returned to Neverland as a man and the Lost Boys are trying to decide if it's really him. One of the little boys approaches Peter, pulls him to kneel in front of him and puts his hands on Peter’s face moving it beneath his fingers. He pushes Peter’s mouth into a smile and his eyes light up as he says, “Oh, there you are Peter!” The Lost Boys then see the friend they missed and run to embrace him. It makes me cry every time!
We all have that spark of childhood playfulness within us, albeit to varying degrees, but with growing comes maturing, and with maturing comes less play as we take ourselves more seriously. This is our natural path and it’s necessary. But perhaps we lose a little bit of our core selves in the process of chasing success and being responsible. Embracing play is part of what makes life pleasurable and not something only meant for children.
There have been times at the playground with my kids where I’ve set my book down on the bench and instead pumped my legs on a swing and felt the rush of remembrance as I moved higher and higher with my head thrown back laughing. That’s the feeling of play that is so often lacking from our everyday moments! Something with no other purpose than simply the enjoyment of the moment.
I’ve always hated the question, “What’s your favorite hobby?” I’ve never felt like I had a solid answer to offer. So maybe like me you’re not even sure what you would choose to do just for fun. I’m not suggesting you need an answer of 1-2 things. I’m more pointing out how it is good for us to embrace the spirit of play in our lives as adults whether that’s in planned activities or in receiving the moments as they come.
With the spirit of play we let our guard down a bit. We don’t evaluate what the time will accomplish or if it’s worthwhile. We can just be present to the moment. We can lose ourselves a bit for the sake of enjoyment. It’s not the activity but the mindset.
This way of being present does not come naturally to me. I’m more prone to overthinking, self-consciousness, moving onto the next productive thing, or missing the moment altogether. I’m usually looking for value and meaning in the things I do and enjoyment alone isn’t something I give much thought to. Practicing the spirit of play is an important way for me to remember that this too is worship. We are created to enjoy, to bring beauty, and to delight in God’s world. We do ourselves a great disservice when we separate our faith and worship from enjoyment. What we live out in our bodies here on earth is tied to the spirit within us. We don’t have to separate the enjoyment of earth from our faith within. Even more so, it’s our faith that spurs us to enjoy the here and now as we honor the spirit of God in us.
So throw your head back laughing, look at the world through the eyes of a child and let yourself daydream and embrace the spirit of play from time to time! This is the world God created and it is still good.
A Resource
An article: Why Adults Should Play Too
Watch the movie Hook (available on Netflix). Or at least watch this clip of my favorite part.
A Practice
Create an opportunity for play this week and notice the invitations in your day for you to practice a playful mindset and enjoy the moment.
Join your kids in coloring a picture, playing a game with your family, riding your bike, decorating cookies, reading a comic, waging a Nerf gun battle against your son, or playing an instrument are just a few ideas. Your day likely already has opportunities if you set out to notice them.
As always, thanks for reading! - Lindsay