Playtime

One evening, I was feeling off and out of sorts. I'd been hoping for a solid block of time to paint—to make progress on an abstract floral piece I'd started. But it hadn't happened. It was getting close to the end of the day, and I walked into my art room to tidy a few things.

Feeling rather disappointed and frustrated, I walked over to the table where I keep markers, pencils and such at the ready. Staring down at the hardback art journal my niece had given me for Christmas—"No words, just art" emblazoned on the cover—I paused for a moment.

I quickly sat down, opened to a blank page, and grabbed the first marker that caught my eye. For the next ten minutes, I threw myself into doodling, scribbling, scratching with crayons, pencils, markers. I just played.

When I was done filling the facing pages to my satisfaction, I looked at what I had created. It was quite unimpressive as far as artwork goes.

And it felt great.

I went to bed that night with a small victory and a smile on my face.

The next day I realized that what I'd actually needed wasn't more work time—it was more playtime. And here's the beautiful thing—we're designed for this. We're all God's children, and part of being a child is play. It's not extra. It's not frivolous. It's a genuine gift that refreshes our hearts and minds so we can do everything else we need to do. And it's part of creating a beautiful life.

So here's my invitation to you, friend: Find a few minutes to play today. Day not going as planned? Feeling heavy? Then do something playful—whatever that looks like to you. Dance around the room. Color. Grab your kid's toy truck and push it around. Throw yourself into it!

I genuinely believe God looks at us when we’re worn out and weary and, like a loving parent, invites us to go play for a little while. And when we do, we open ourselves to receive the rest and joy we’ve been needing all along—which, I imagine, puts a smile of delight on God’s face.