I get my money’s
worth out of my summers.
There’s soccer on Mondays and Wednesdays, softball on
Tuesdays and Thursdays, hiking, mountain biking, and camping. God bless Mandy
for letting me keep that crazy schedule. And then there’s family
activities—from swimming at the pool and playing at parks to riding our bikes
and taking family walks—that keep our summers full of fun in the sun. And I
love every minute of it.
Now, that routine might be a bit extreme, but the point I’m
trying to illustrate is the importance of recreation. As humans—and I would
argue especially as people of faith—it is vital that we take time away from the
busyness of work and school and life to simply relax our bodies, refresh our minds,
rejuvenate our souls, and enjoy our world.
You see, all
recreation is deeply and inherently spiritual. To recreate is to re-create.
When we play…when we rest…when we connect with creation and
community…we are participating in the re-creation of the world. Creation was endowed
by God with a rhythm—six and one, six and one, six and one—designed for us to
beautifully labor as the stewards of creation, but then take time to rest,
rejuvenate, and step back to enjoy the wonder of God’s goodness.
We too often don’t operate within the boundaries of this
sacred rhythm, however, so the world is not as it was intended to be. Creation
is off-kilter. But when we recreate—when we pause from the daily grind and step
away from the busyness of life—we allow the world to re-create. When we do what
we love, we partner with God in re-creating our world. When we connect with who
we love, we are re-creating the world as it was meant to be.
The original covenant God made with his people was a
contract of re-creation—where God would bless his people so they would be a
blessing to the world—co-creating a new and better existence alongside the
Creator. And this co-creating task has not changed. We still bear this awesome
responsibility of re-creating the world alongside the Creator, and one way this
co-creational process can occur is through simply recreating in ways that lead
to refreshment, rejuvenation, and joy.
When we pause from
the busyness of life, engage in the lovely and life-giving things of this
world, and do so with others, we partner with God in the renewal of all things.
So, spend this summer recreating as a means of re-creation.
Have some fun. Do some things you love to do but never make time for. Spend
time doing nothing with people who mean everything. Play, be silly, get muddy
and wet. Share your dinner table with good friends. Share your life with your
neighbors. Take time to rest, rejuvenate, and enjoy our world. And as you
re-create your body, mind, and soul, you’ll be partnering with God in
re-creating our world.
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