Playing the Field, Part I

All life begins with play.

There are times as parents when we spy the sacred in our ordinary living. You know what I’m talking about – those moments when all of a sudden it hits you that this moment is a holy moment. Many of those moments may come when your child is finally asleep and looking like an angel when you know they’ve acted quite the opposite all day, but many moments seem to come when your child is in the midst of play. And whether you are actively playing with them or simply watching them play, you become aware of holiness in your midst – how blessed you are, how beautiful your child is, how joyful you/your child is at the moment, etc. In fact, play is in it’s essence joyful, is it not? But have you ever thought of play as holy or spiritual?

Play involves immense pleasure, even joy, of a holistic sort. Mind, body, spirit – all are engaged together. Sometimes play results in the visible, tangible sensations of a smile, laughter, muscle ache, or cleansing breath. Play has rich interpersonal and intergenerational potential, connecting us deeply to others, and is wonderful when done together in a communal or cooperative context. But play also involves activity done by oneself. One must be able to play well alone in order to play well with others. Play sparks and fuels imagination and creativity. It suspends reality but doesn’t supersede it. It can transform reality. It involves an attitude of delight and enjoyment – an embodiment of joy – as much as specific activity. In fact, any playful act can become work if the pleasure dissipates. Everyone should have equal access to play, regardless of talent, wealth, or the right outfit. Genuine play does not harm those playing or others around them.

Throughout history, play has been denounced by many parents and pastors alike. Think back to what church services were like even with children involved – 3 hour long sermons with not a felt board in sight (!), Sundays where no fun activities were allowed (unless you considered reading and studying the Bible for a large portion of the day fun), and Sabbaths when corporal punishment was deemed appropriate if you became too silly. Not surprisingly, few theologians over the course of history have considered play a component of creation and a practice of faith. This is a shame, perhaps owing to the association of God with rest or stasis and play with forbidden sensual pleasure or indulgence and pampering.

Johan Huizinga sees play quite differently and more of a foundational element to adult society. We may all know and believe that play is a fundamental component of childhood, but we may not realize from that component has come “adult forms of law, politics, art and religion. Practices of faith, even the liturgy itself, exist in direct continuity with play.”

I began with the quote, “All life begins with play.” How many times have you witnessed an adult (it could be a complete stranger) come near your child with the main objective of getting them to smile? Our first true interactions with our child are forms of play – making silly faces, singing songs and bouncing them, waving rattles in their face. The play of early eye contact between parent and infant creates a trustworthy world for both participants. This playful ritual actually enhances our potential to experience religious transcendence later in life and shapes our images of God.

Scripture also envisions play and child play in transformative roles at the beginning and end of time. In hymns of creation, the Psalmist pictures God as a God of play, a God who laughs, plays, and cavorts, not just a God of "rest."

Is it possible that Jesus himself welcomed children precisely because they play? Doesn't the imperative to "become like children" (Matthew 18:3) have something essential to do with prizing playfulness as a part of rejoicing in God's love? With children in play, we practice the freedom of the Garden and the laughter of resurrection, imaginatively resisting the powers that seek to define, capture, and destroy us.

More to come on the subject of play next week...

Crystal

All green text comes from Chapter 7 in In the Midst of Chaos by Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore.