Let’s Find The Joy

 What would it look like if we enjoyed playing like kids? Would the drudge of working out or staying active change in our minds?

You do not have to tell a kid to stay active, it is in their DNA. One of the joys for me of being a parent is seeing the pleasure my kids have when they are playing. They are not working out, trying to meet a goal, their pure motivation is to play. It is not any bigger than that. They know no other way to live. Life in its purest form is found in the play of a child. 

We as adults have lost that joy. We are told that we are to put away childish things and grow up. But I feel we have lost if we only look at life as something to accomplish. When you are on a journey to live the purest life you can, play cannot be neglected. God has designed our bodies for movement, we were not meant to be sedentary creatures. So, sitting on the couch watching tv is not the pure life, God has created us to be active and moving.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6.19-20 

When the Apostle Paul was writing this section of his letter to the church in Corinth, he had a clear agenda about the information that he wanted to get across. The people in the church were indulging themselves into the practice of sex outside of marriage. This was customary of the culture in that time, but Paul is calling the people of the church to be more, they represent Christ with what they do with their bodies.  

So that being said I do not want to take this short section of scripture out of context and apply it to our topic without first laying the groundwork of the original purpose and audience. But I do believe there is a message in Paul’s words that is relevant for our topic of play. If we take Paul at his words that we represent God with all that we do with our bodies, it makes sense that whatever we do with our bodies, it should be for the glory of God.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 

1 Corinthians 10.31 

We are an instrument of God and we represent him with all that we do with our bodies. We are to offer every part of ourselves to him as an instrument of righteousness. (Romans 6.13b) To me this would include the self-care of our bodies. This is where play comes into the picture because… 

We forget what it feels like to run around acting silly just because. Fear is a big squelcher of play because we do not want to be embarrassed. As adults, we are not supposed to just run around for the fun of it but in doing that, we are missing so much that God has given us.  

Where does the motivation come from for play? 

The answer is joy! We have to find what we enjoy in life and pursue it like a child does when they are playing. You do not have to tell a kid to be joyful, it comes to them naturally. It is true that what they lack in experience they make up for in wonder. The truth is that we as adults have been through life and experienced the hurts of this world. We have been let down by people before, we know the feeling of disappointment. Time and time again people have hurt us emotionally, spiritually or maybe even physically. We all walk around with baggage from this life; we all have scares that we carry. The truth of the matter is that there is only one who will never fail us. It is just like the words God gave Joshua after the death of Moses and he was to become the leader of the Israelites.

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Joshua 1.5 

 The question is how do we rediscover the Joy in life?

Start by rediscovering play. In his book titled Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, Dr. Brown gives a clear statement on why we need play as adults. “Play is a state of mind, rather than an activity. Remember the definition of play: an absorbing, apparently purposeless activity that provides enjoyment and a suspension of self-consciousness and sense of time. It is also self-motivating and makes you want to do it again.”[1] I hope you caught what I think is the most important part of that quote; “apparently purposeless”. Do something that has no rhyme or reason. Run around in the yard chasing your kids. Take a walk in your bare feet and feel the earth tremble below. Find a park and get on a swing like you used to when you were a kid. When we rediscover the joy of play our lives become fuller. We begin to step into the image that God created us for.

So what will you do today to rediscover the joy of play?

[1] Dr. Stuart Brown and Christopher Vaughan, Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul (New York: Penguin Group, 2009).