The Holy Spirit is urging believers to recognize their need for God's strength in new ways as shifts occur in their lives. By synchronizing our voices with His and chasing Him, we can experience a deeper connection and fulfill our needs through God's grace of provision.

Too many believers stay dependent on spiritual milk, easily offended by inconvenience, and dependent on emotional stimulation.

Christlike welcome of others is what Scripture calls us to do, not because we must as a checklist obligation, but because doing so reflects the heart of our Savior who lovingly bids us to come to Him despite our brokenness and sin.

The Earth is our home, and our citizenship is in the Kingdom of Heaven as Christians. God, in His intentional and exquisite design, made not just a planet suitable for life but a planet that is full of wonder, beauty, and resources available so that we may live well.As Christians, we ought to care about the Earth and the environment because it is a gift from God to man.Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/PeopleImages

Every day, parents across the country pack chairs into the car for weeknight soccer games, sit in the audience of the children’s theater, and chauffeur kids to another activity. We sign our children up for music lessons, debate club, or swim team. We do all this because we believe these endeavors hold value. We hope these hobbies will grow our children’s interpersonal skills, help with stress management, and provide opportunities for character development. While we’ve scrambled to keep up with our children’s schedules, we’ve overlooked that these same activities could be just as good for us. Play doesn’t come with an expiration date. Research shows that even as adults, play can help manage stress, aid problem-solving, and increase connections. But for the Christian, play offers even more. As we carve out time for play in our own schedules, we have the opportunity to reconsider who God has made us to be and to teach our kids in the process. More than Utility We didn’t always eschew play, for it came easily to us as children. Unfortunately, as we graduated from dependent children into self-supporting adults, our lives began to center around a new creed: utility. Am I doing something useful? This question knocks about in our minds consistently throughout our days, pushing us to our to-do lists and to the projects that offer the gold star of productivity. The play of our youth can’t hold up to this new framework. Even as adults, play can help manage stress, aid problem solving, and increase connections. Yet the utilitarian construct lies. Image-bearers of God weren’t made for endless production. Before Adam and Eve were told to do anything, they first simply received the gift of life and all its benefits from their Father. When we purposefully choose to watch the birds, play an instrument, or roll the dice in a board game, we’re reminding our hearts that utility doesn’t have the final say. We’re reorienting ourselves not as doers but as receivers of the “good and perfect” gifts from our Lord (James 1:17, NIV). We’re following Solomon’s admonitions to “find enjoyment” within the few days of life God has given (Eccl. 5:18). Our kids need to see this humble posture exhibited in adulthood, and we can model it for them within our play. Playing to Worship With this humbled perspective, we’re able to step into our hobbies free to enjoy them and ready to worship. God’s fingerprints are everywhere. Paul says that the Lord’s power and nature have always been perceived “in the things that have been made” (Rom 1:20). We’ve likely experienced this as we look on God’s majesty in the orange of the sun sinking below the horizon or in a roaring waterfall. O. Palmer Robertson says it’s our biggest privilege to “to discern something eternal behind the transitory objects of the present world, and to be able to cling closely to this eternal substance.” Our hobbies provide this chance—not only in the big and obvious places but in the small transitory activities of our lives. The movement of our muscles in a dead lift points to the incredible handiwork of a God who fashioned every muscle fiber. The words of a novel or the paintings at an art museum can stir our hearts to thank the God whose beauty each masterpiece echoes. The joy we find in the garden, with our pets, or in a kayak on the lake can remind us of God’s love, grace, and kindness toward his children. Our hobbies won’t hand out new revelation about God, but they’ll reaffirm the truths of Scripture imaged in his world. These eternal truths wait for all mankind, no matter our age. Most of the time, we miss this opportunity for worship because we’re too busy chasing the next task. That’s why it can be so important to carve out time for play that reorients us within God’s world. The extra space allows us to pay attention and, in turn, worship the true Giver. Planning to Play Unfortunately, this kind of play won’t always follow the path of least resistance. As with our children’s full schedules, carving out time for our own hobbies can be difficult. It’s easier to spend free time scrolling reels than picking up a novel or an embroidery hoop. At times, it’s tempting to sit in the air conditioning rather than walk out to the garden to pull weeds. Image-bearers of God weren’t made for endless production. Our available time for play might also be limited. While we don’t want to abdicate our other responsibilities, I think we’d be surprised by the many ways we can build play into our days. You might spend a ten-minute break drawing a sketch instead of reaching for your phone. You might keep a book on hand in your bag or car. You might learn the names of the birds outside your feeder while you wash dishes. Or maybe you’ll find the easiest place to begin playing is joining your kids in their play—whether in the swimming pool or with a board game. Opportunities to play within God’s world abound. Though this might require effort and planning, the gifts God has hidden within our play will make it worth it. Parents were made for hobbies too. We need only ask if we can humble ourselves and receive them.