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One of my
favorite spiritual practices is one you
don’t hear much about: the practice of play.
But it seems an appropriate topic to
consider during summer.
Play is an
important part of what I call Sabbath
Simplicity—a sanely paced, God-focused
lifestyle. To live in Sabbath Simplicity
means we have slowly crafted a life-giving
way of life—and it may look different in
your life than it does in mine.
But this
lifestyle includes spiritual practices that
create some space for God. So along with
prayer and meditating on God’s word, I
include other spiritual disciplines like
service, and play. I don’t serve all the
time, I don’t play all the time. It is the
rhythm between these things that creates a
cadence I can dance to.
Play helps
us fight the temptation of sins Jesus
prohibited in his teaching—things like
worry, fear, lack of joy. You’ve perhaps not
thought of play as a spiritual discipline,
but then again, perhaps you didn’t consider
worry a sin, even though the command most
often repeated in the Bible is “do not be
afraid.”
The Bible
tells us that one day Jesus’ disciples came
to him and asked, “Who is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven?”
In
response, Jesus “called a little child, whom
he placed among them. And he said: ‘Truly I
tell you, unless you change and become like
little children, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes
a humble place—becoming like this child—is
the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And
whoever welcomes one such child in my name
welcomes me.” (Matthew 18: 1-5)
Jesus said
we are to be like little children. What does
that mean? Is Jesus advocating humility? Or
playfulness? Isn’t there a certain humility
in playfulness?
Little
children are dependent, needy, immature,
sometimes selfish. They are also, at times,
carefree, trusting, humble. There is a
difference between childish and childlike.
Brennan
Manning, in his book The Importance of
Being Foolish, helps us understand the
cultural context of Jesus’ remark about
being childlike.
“There is
no mistaking that one must learn to resemble
a child in order to enter the kingdom,” he
writes. “But to grasp the full force of the
phrase ‘like little children,’ we must
realize that the Jewish attitude toward
children in the time of Christ differed
drastically from the one prevalent today. We
have a tendency to idealize childhood, to
see it as the happy age of innocence,
insouciance, and simple faith. In the Jewish
community of New Testament times, the child
was considered of no importance, meriting no
attention or favor. The child was regarded
with scorn.”
How can we
cultivate humility but still be people who
exhibit the “joy of the Lord?”
I believe
the answer lies in our ability to play. Play
forces us to loosen our grip on our
ambitions, and our worries. It is a call to
trust.
Summer
lends itself to play—although few of us have
the luxury of doing nothing but play. And
like a child on endless summer vacation, we
may find ourselves ready to complain of
boredom if we have only play and no work.
I believe
God calls us to live our lives in a rhythm
of work and rest. We do our work heartily,
as if we were doing it for him, but then we
enjoy the rest that comes in relationship
with him. (see Matthew 11:28-30)
Rest is not
just collapsing. I believe many of us work
so much because we don’t see the value of
play. We don’t know how to play, or bring
such an intensity to it that it is not
joyful, relaxing or replenishing. If you are
taking a vacation this summer, will you come
home refreshed? Or more stressed?
Play is
part of my Sabbath practice. In winter, that
might mean a walk in the snow, or playing
Scrabble in front of the fire. In summer,
play shifts to outdoor activities that bring
me joy while building relationships.
My husband
and I play together by racing our small
two-person sailboat. Racing is exhilarating,
and requires strength and stamina. We have a
blast doing it, even as we are exerting
ourselves. Our boat is the oldest one on the
lake, we have not spent the money to replace
it. At this season of our lives, the boat is
more recreational than competitive, but we
enjoy it. We escape the cell phones, the
computer, the bills and stresses of daily
life. Together we focus on a goal, but still
just have fun.
My kids and
I play together in various ways—going for
bike rides, or going on adventures. The
other day we went to Chicago’s Museum of
Science and Industry to see some special
exhibits. Other times, simple pleasures like
walking the dog together or playing a board
game provide time to just connect.
To play
alone, I go to my garden, where I putter and
plant, and notice the amazing creativity of
God in everything from bugs to basil.
As I write
this, I am facing some major deadlines, and
getting ready to go on a vacation. The
purpose of vacation is to play for several
days—but trying to get everything done is
stressing me. I am wondering whether the
work involved in preparing for a vacation is
even worth it. But God calls us not just to
serve, but to rest. To play.
Play is an
essential component of Sabbath Simplicity.
If you’re not sure how this would look in
your life, ask yourself this question: what
do I like to do for fun? What’s rejuvenating
and enjoyable? What activity, when I do it,
causes me to forget about my stress and lose
track of time?
If you
don’t know the answers to those questions,
well, that’s something to pay attention to,
because it may give you some clarity about
where you are on your journey.
Take some
time to play this summer, and to see it not
as a mindless escape or guilty pleasure, but
as a spiritual practice that will help you
grow in joy.
Book Reviews
 Just
Give Me Jesus
By Anne Graham Lotz
Thomas Nelson
Retail Price: $14.99
Our Price: $11.99
I have
to admit, I read this book because I am
working on a magazine article about the
author, who happens to be the daughter of
Billy Graham, the famous evangelist.
The book is
all about reconnecting with Jesus. Anne
wrote it, and designed “revivals for women”
around the same topic, because she wanted a
fresh touch from Jesus in her own spiritual
life.
Those
revivals draw 10,000 women or more to arenas
around the world, where Anne simply shares
from her heart. The cool thing is, while the
revivals are aimed at women, many men show
up as well—and they are not turned away but
welcomed.
If you are
wondering how Jesus fits into your life, if
you wish you knew him better or more
intimately, if you think your problems are
too big for him to solve—read this book.
It’s inspiring. And now that I’ve had the
honor of meeting the author, I would also
say, it’s authentic. Anne lives what she
preaches.
Quotable Quote
“To allow
oneself to be carried away by a multitude of
conflicting concerns, to surrender to too
many demands, to commit oneself to too many
projects, to want to help everyone in
everything, is to succumb to violence.”
--Thomas Merton
Note: I
found this quote somewhere in cyberspace. I
hate these quote sites that don’t tell you
the original source. If you know which of
Merton’s books it comes from, and can
contact me via my website and tell me, I
will send you a free copy of one of my
books!
Deeper Connection
Do you take
time to play? What activities do you do just
for sheer enjoyment? Do you agree or
disagree with the idea that play is a
spiritual practice?
Connecting with Keri: Speaking
Keri is not available for speaking
engagements during the summer.
Keri will lead
a retreat for the Women’s Christian
Conference of Northwest Pennsylvania Sept.
12-13 in Saegertown, PA.
She will be in
Southern California for the week of October
13, 2008. If you are in that area and are
interested in having Keri speak, you can go
to
www.keriwyattkent.com and click on the
link to speaking. Besides the week in
California, Keri is currently accepting
speaking engagements for November 2008 and
beyond.
Connecting with Keri: Web
Check out
Keri’s blog, Deep Breathing for the Soul, at
www.keriwyattkent.com/soul/
You can read Keri’s latest musings on the
connection between faith and real life, you
can post a question about any of her books
or other writings.
Keri posts
each Thursday on
www.boomerbabesrock.com/blog. She writes
about faith, family and fun on this site
dedicated to women of the baby boom
generation.
If you are a
parent or work with kids, and feel like you
are always pouring out, click over to Keri’s
“For Your Soul” column
http://www.christianitytoday.com/childrensministry/articles/
and get filled up. This column, written
for those who minister to children, will
give you encouragement and practical help
with nurturing your own soul.
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