Ready to Play

Check out this take on how creation got started:

First off, nothing... but God. No light, no time, no substance, no matter. Second off, God says the word and WHAP! Stuff everywhere! The cosmos in chaos: no shape, no form, no function -- just darkness... total. And floating above it all, God's Holy Spirit, ready to play.

So the Creator has a playful spirit, according to Rob Lacey and his "Word on the Street" version of the Bible. And don't forget, "holy", too... a holy spirit of creative play.

I love that. I need to hear that, now and then... that play is a vital part of life. Vital as in full of energy. And absolutely essential! When we take ourselves too seriously as accomplishers, workers, succeeders, strivers... then these are the gracewords we need to hear: And floating above it all is God's Holy Spirit, ready to play.

Last week I had the privilege of going on a retreat with 20 or so other ministry-types, people who needed a break, a chance to hang with friends and be with God. And what did we do? We played! We played with all kinds of creative arts and craftsy thingies and we played with words and images, embellished with laughter and aha(!) insights. We let the Creator and the creation story guide us in letting loose, in switching from "doing" mode to "being" mode. Needless to say: it was great. Just what I was hungering for.

What kind of creative play do you crave? What are you doing or being when you feel so at one with the Creator that you could just burst with joy? Or has it been so long since you felt that way that you wonder if joy will ever come around again? Feel free to let loose your story of how creativity oozes from you or completely eludes you, how your spirit is fed when you play or how you wish you could find a way to be a creative play-er.

Jesus played plenty with words and images that have given us lasting views of how we can be floating with God's spirit. From Matthew's story (chapter 6) we hear Jesus asking us to stop everything, lay flat on our backs, watch the birds soar, smell the wildflowers... let all the striving go, long enough to loosen your worried souls and learn from creation, from all the creative play-ers around you. And when it's time to start striving again, strive not for piling up accomplishments but for lining up with God and God's creating ways.

It's a breath of fresh air, this creative play. Slurp in a deep one now and then, in between all those working hours. And be ready to play when the spirit floats you.

~ Kari Henkelmann Keyl