Being Fully Alive: Play Matters

“The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.” — G. K. Chesterton

One of my favorite scenes in the original Disney movie Mary Poppins is when Mary and the children she cares for accompany Bert to visit Mary's Uncle Albert. 

Uncle Albert has a problem.  When he begins laughing uncontrollably, he floats to the ceiling.  Both the children and Bert give in to Uncle Albert's infectious humor and begin laughing, too.  Soon, everyone is on the ceiling except for a disapproving Mary Poppins. 

That scene still makes me smile, mostly because of Dick Van Dyck's over-the-top performance.  

It always reminds me of the pure joy of laughing with friends so much that nearly everything that gets said in that moment feels hilarious, and no one can seem to stop.  It reminds me of playing as a kid, running and laughing at the same time (something I cannot do at all now).  

I admit, I don't play that often anymore.  

When was the last time you did something for absolutely no practical reason?

Not because it was productive.

Not because it accomplished something.

Not because someone needed you to.

You did it simply because it was fun.

Children understand this instinctively. Give them an empty cardboard box, and it becomes a spaceship, a castle, a race car, or a secret hideout.

Adults tend to lose that ability.

We become responsible. Efficient. Busy. Everything needs a purpose. Even leisure becomes something we optimize.

Then Jesus places a child in the middle of his disciples and says, “Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

Jesus certainly isn't romanticizing childhood. But children possess qualities adults easily lose: wonder, imagination, trust, curiosity—and playfulness.

Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

Both belong to a faithful life.

Play reminds us that our worth is not measured by productivity. For a little while, we stop accomplishing and simply enjoy being alive.

Maybe that's why play can feel surprisingly spiritual.

Throw a ball.

Play a game.

Dance badly.

Make something ridiculous.

Go somewhere simply because you enjoy being there.

Laugh until your stomach hurts.

None of these things will make you more productive.

That's precisely the point.

For a little while, you get to remember that you are not a machine designed to produce results.

You are a beloved child of God who has been given a beautiful, strange, wonderful life to enjoy.

Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is stop taking ourselves so seriously and play.

Prayer:

Playful God, thank you for laughter, imagination, friendship, and delight. Forgive me when I measure my days only by what I accomplish. Restore in me the wonder and freedom of a child. Teach me to work faithfully when it is time to work, and to laugh, celebrate, dance, and play when it is time to play. Amen.

Reflection Questions: 

1. What did you love doing purely for fun when you were younger?

2. When did life become more serious for you, and what might you need to reclaim?

3. What could you do this week simply because it brings you delight?