Playground.

I'm writing this sitting in the adventure playground in Hillsborough forest Park. It's a nice day. Most schools are off for Easter so the place is buzzing with small people and their adults. I'm watching toddlers attempting to run and falling over, 3 yr olds coming down slides into the arms of waiting

adults, 5 yr olds being bold on wobbly rope bridges and older kids braving the high corkscrew slide. It strikes me that life is like a playground. It is designed by its creator to be fun. But it's also designed to stretch abilities, promote health and wellbeing, encourage interaction across ages, be a bit dangerous and scary and provide challenges for every age and stage of life.  

The playground was designed by adults for children.  Your life was designed by God for you.  The date of your birth, the number of days you will live, the personality you have developed and the characteristics you have inherited in your genes have all been set in place by Him for your benefit.  Like the architects of the play park, God has a brilliant knowledge of the needs of His kids.  He has designed your life to be utterly dependent on others in the beginnings, then more independent , adventurous and questing as you have got older.  He has set in front of you obstacles to climb and unsteady paths under your feet.  Interspersed with really amazing and exhilarating zip wires and views from the tops.  He has not raced in to save you when you have fallen off but has allowed you to experience the bruises and bumps of life so that you can learn what is safe and what is not.  As you have come to maturity God has withdrawn to a distance and sat on a bench and enjoyed watching you.  You don't need His constant holding hand any more. You know how to negotiate even the newest pieces of equipment in the park.  But you still look over to Him often to catch His eye, show off your skills and see His pride, wave your hello from the tops of towers .  And occasionally there is still an injury and you come to Him for comfort and healing, or a place where you get stuck and need help or rescue.

Last night a friend of mine in a chat group wrote this.

I haven’t had proper time with God for weeks now because of everyone being at home all the time and taking so much of my attention. It’s not an excuse though as there are times I could fit it in to my day but I choose not to because I feel I am constantly playing catch up. I feel rubbish as a result - but like an idiot I am still not doing anything about it!! I really want to be in tune with Gods heart but I feel a bit of a fake 😢

We all tend to do this all the time don't we?  We imagine God is sitting with a stopwatch on the bench in the park , or with a checklist. We imagine He is examining us on our fitness or our climbing ability or our agility on a slide or a swing.  We are terrified that if we don't check in with Him often enough He will have got up and left without us realising it.   Can I let you in on a secret?  Today in the park I was with a 5 and a 7 year old who were perfectly happy and able to play by themselves and I was delighted.  I sat in the sunshine.  I watched them ( and other kids) playing.  I talked to a dog who was tied up nearby.  I smiled at other parents chasing after toddlers and looking a bit frazzled.  And I was so glad that my time for all that effort was over and that both my own kids and the ones I was childminding no longer needed that level of scrutiny and input.

I do know that life is not a game and that some of us have to deal with some massively serious and scary things  - but nonetheless I still think life is much more of an adventure playground than an exam or a driving test.   The fact is, my chat group friend has been busy in the playground with her family.  She has been keeping a home, shopping and cooking and doing homework and generally being busy.  She has been on the climbing frame watching where to put her feet and hasn't checked in with Dad for a while.  Is He cross with her?  No of course not!   Is He sitting on the bench feeling lonely and hoping that she will stop what she is doing and come and talk to Him?   Well,  He will always be happy for a chat and will always have a big smile on His face when He sees her coming - but He isnt pining for her company.  She is doing what she is supposed to be doing.  She is getting on with the life God has created specially for her to enjoy.  He knows that if He calls her name she will stop what she is doing and come to talk to Him.  And that if she needs His help she will call for Him and He will be right there.

The entrance to this playground is in the shape of a cross. The equipment in it was all payed for by the blood of Jesus and the leaves on the trees are for the healing of the nations.  Next time you go to or past a play park just stop and watch for a while and let God speak to you.  There is much He wants to say about kids and parents and play and sunshine and fun.