Carina Francke

Yesterday we talked about the benefit of play and how children and Jesus express it.

When adults want to play, it often requires a change of thinking patterns, a stepping out from comfort zones and the boldness to storm out and exuberantly, like children, seize the moment and play, despite life that happens.

Recently, during a visit to a nursery, somewhere behind me I heard the noise of trolley wheels and someone shrieking with laughter, "O, young man, this is life! Faster! Faster!" On the trolley stood a dignified elderly woman whilst a worker raced her and her shopping between the wide nursery aisles. Silly? No! Only a woman who seized the moment to celebrate her relationship with life and people!

How do people play who have outgrown their playing shoes? In nature, near to God's creation; with good books, joy rides on a motorbike; with art, dancing, hobbies, music, day dreaming and....and.....

In short, you play when you intentionally walk away from your daily routine and do the unusual. However, when you have these experiences with others, you open the door for enriching these relationships.

It also involves those occasions  when a couple cheerfully play like children, dancing and singing - something Isaac and Rebekah succeeded in doing very well, so much so that it attracted the attention of the king. "Abimelech king of the Philistines looketh through a window, and seeth, and lo, Isaac is playing with Rebekah his wife." (Gen 26:8b -YLT 98).

Some Bible translations interpret play in this sense as cuddle or caress, but the Greek word for play literally means to play like a child (Vine's Dictionary). Whatever the case may be, the Holy Spirit considered this incident important enough to inspire the writer to eternalize it.

I remind you of yesterday's Scripture when Jesus confronted the people, "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you and you did not lament." (Matthew 11:16,17). Indeed, it was not John's intention to smooth-talk people into playing, but this section of Scripture strikingly describes the passivity and apathy of adulthood - they stand lead-footed while the music of life is playing on.

Prayer: Father, I confess that in my being-busy I make little room to spend time with people I meet along the road. You want to use them to be man to me so that I can also see you in them, and I very often miss that. I humbly ask that when it is my turn to be man to others, you will make me sensitive to know hów. Amen.