Fruitfulness, fun, and rest, Part II (fun!)

Fun...
In the balance of our lives, there’s the  fun component.  Somehow, we tend to relegate fun to the less necessary, idle aspect of our lives...the wasting time compartment.  There definitely are time-wasters that can regretfully consume huge portions of our day (online black holes in time, too much television, digital games we play ad nauseum, etc.), but I believe these are different than what we referred to as play when we were young.  Have we forgotten how to play as adults?

When I was young in the 50’s and early 60’s, we used to play outside most of the day. We would invent new games almost on a daily basis. We rode our bikes, played games with balls, made up imaginary role-play scenarios, set up scenes with various toys, built structures with blocks, played board games (sometimes playing both sides), climbed trees, read books, and colored pictures. Creativity and imagination played large roles in our day.

God is Creator, as well as Saviour, Giver, Comforter and Guide. I believe He delights in the elements of play and creating in our lives, even (especially?) when we’re of an age where it’s more difficult to get our bodies to do what we want them to. [I’ve nixed learn to play guitar from my lengthy retirement activity list, since my arthritic hands are uncooperative.] For Him, we are still the young person we always were, despite our outer appearance. He still enjoys watching us play, the same way we enjoy watching our own children play. [I still love hearing my grown kids have fun and laugh together.]

The Father told me recently that Play keeps our hearts younger and more tender. He warned me not to let my heart grow brittle and cold as I aged.. I discovered He's all for fun, in balance. So have some fun! Do a puzzle, read a book aloud with different voices for the characters, play a board game that fosters laughter (no cut-throat competitions). [Ever played Apples to Apples?] Watch or listen to an old children’s classic*.  Recently I’ve had the urge to revisit Narnia (in both print and film Use your phone to record family members and friends answering fun questions. Ever play Would you Rather...?..or Coke or Pepsi? Ask those you love a question from their childhood. [What was your favorite board game? Birthday cake? Toy? Vacation? Christmas memory? Ice cream? Outdoor game? Best memory with your mom...your dad?...with your sibling?  Or even, what was your most difficult time?

It’s amazing what you’ll find about about those you may have known for a very long time. You hear their 💕  It will also help you know how to pray for them.  Are their wounds from the past that need healing? [See Fruitfulness in Part I.]. God loves hearing you share your heart, too. You'll find that Play, then, can also  become an aspect of  Rest*.
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*Listen to the language..the expression and vocabulary in the children's classics, and you'll see how far current writing has deteriorated in this light.  Try something like The Secret Garden or an adventure from an earlier century from authors like Alexander Dumas or Robert Louis Stevenson.  Read aloud a classic story to your grandchildren, in installments. Make it come alive for them.  

**Watch for Part III, where we explore the various forms of Rest.