play

According to Diane Ackerman, “play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.” I love to play with words, play the piano, watch a play and I used to play hockey. I’m not talking about video, computer or phone games which are referred to as “artificial play”. I’m thinking of childhood antics like running through a sprinkler on a hot summer afternoon across a green carpeted lawn screaming from the cold spray. It’s playing hide and seek and evading the seeker, finding a trail in the forest and looking for the highest branches of a tree to climb. It’s going to the local park to roll sideways down the hill or playing tag with each other. It’s making mud pies in the sandbox or sand castles in the sand with plastic shovels and pails and splashing in the clear, blue water jumping over the waves.

My neighbor runs a dayhome for children. I often hear the sounds of laugher, kids peek a booing through the fence at me and pretending they are explorers in the back yard. I am reminded of how creative children can be. Their self-expression is how they play and "is the highest form of research” (Albert Einstein) any adult could conduct. Have we as adults lost our childhood playfulness?

Just because we are “grown up” doesn’t mean we can’t concoct some element of playfulness. Health and well-being - particularily mental health - are so important for cognitive, social, affective and motor skill development in children. Experiencing creativity and play only contributes to their growth. According to a 2012 Marks-Tarlow study, they found that freedom to play is a key ingredient for joy, interest, passion and vitality later in life.

Two Greek words capture this freedom of play. Aristotle believed that eudaimonia is the highest human good and ability to realize one’s truest potential; while Apicurus thought that hedonia was that happines and positive effects contributed to feeling good. After all, who does not want to have that passion, love and vitality in one’s life? Start today to find that childlike play within us. It’s good for the soul.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126: 2-3

Faces

Save face! Go wash your face! Face the facts! I know your face. We get lied to our faces and can have someone laugh in our face. We can put on a happy face but be faced with a dilemma. We sometimes don’t want to face the truth but we have to face reality at some point. What dangers do we face?

We see faces on magazine covers, billboards, in crowds and even the mirror. The faces of the youth, babies, middle-aged and elderly all have a story to tell. We have laughing faces and thoughtful, pensive faces. Faces of the unknown pass us on the street and we recognize certain faces in the media - our celebrities and heros but who are they really? George Bernard Shaw said that “you use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.”

There is a Japanese myth that says we all have three faces. The first one is shown to the world and we let them see what we want them to see. The second face is the one we show to our family, our close friends and those we trust. But the last or third face is the one we keep to ourselves and show no one. That is the reflection of who we truly are.

It’s interesting that God created symmetry in faces of all creatures on earth. The eyes are positioned above to view the world. The nose is down to not only drain the sinus from tears, but pick up scents. The mouth is to ingest food that the eyes have seen and the nose has smelled. There are even universalities of facial expressions. We read faces for social signals. Prosopagnosia is the inability to recognize a person’s face but on the other hand, FFA or fusiform facial area in the right hemisphere of our brains increases blood flow to that area when our brain recognizes a face!

James, the brother of Jesus, compares looking at our face in the mirror to listening to the Word of God and then going away forgetting what we saw. James 1: 22-25 tells us that we are to…not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

Maybe it’s time to face the truth of what we are living today. Dark shadows seem to cover the world in so many ways. We can choose to live in a grey world or heed Helen Keller’s words. At 19 months, she became both blind and deaf and went on to become a writer and lecturer. “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.”

expialidocious

I have recently joined an on-line cooking class with the focus on allergy conscious cooking. I also learned from one of the classes about doshas - kapha, vata, and pitta. According to the ancient Indian philosophy that universal life is manifested in one of these three ways, we are all made up of a combination of these three forces. Many people I talk to have expressed their concern over what they call the “pandemic diet” which often causes the individual to eat unhealthy foods, suffer from too much inactivity from sitting in front of a screen and feelings of anxiety, isolation, frustration and even anger. So how to get healthy? Well, the Mary Poppins diet of Expialodocious is simply amazingly deliciously fun and healthy!

So keeping the body healthy, improving the mind and increasing energy, mental health are all the positives to aid the body’s systems through what we put in our bodies. What we feed ourselves with affects us. Are we eating junk or natural? Feeding positive, healthy body and mind gives us energy. What are we feeding our mind with? Are we being filled with the Holy Spirit and God’s word? or are we consuming ourselves with news, negative talk or thoughts?

Kapha refers to the body structure and the elements of earth. We are the body of Christ - His church. We are in the world and connected to Mother nature. When kapha is not balanced, there is greed and envy, but when it’s centered, there is love, calm and forgiveness. Doesn’t that sound like the way we should be living as Christians and not of this world with its focus on materialism?

Vata refers to the energy associated with movement, breathing and the heart. The elements of space and air make up this dosha. God placed air in our lungs. He gave us a heart to love and gifts to share with the world. When vata is imbalanced, there is fear and anxiety. The past 15 months have shown that some people are living this each day. Creativity and flexibility is the positive balance. Are we working to make this world a better place? Are we showing the love of Christ and asking the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us? Are we serving others with our gifts?

Pitta refers to the body’s metablic system with elements of fire and water. I think of Moses and the burning bush and the water baptism of Christ. When anger, hatred and jealousy show the negative aspects of this system, there is understanding and intelligence to counterbalance them. We are living in a time of darkness, but we can ask for God’s understanding to make sense of what is happening and ask for His wisdom. We can share the gospel with others and show God’s love and compassion.

Keeping our system - whether it be our individual body or the body of believers - healthy requires us to make positive choices about diet, exercise and health. We have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to guide us and keep our energy in balance.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4: 8-9

He Tangata

There are famous works of art, ancient architecture and thriving metropolises. There are libraries of words and vaults of money. There are tranquil islands of bliss, crowded shanty towns and vast oceans of water. But an old Moari proverb asks ko te mea ote ao he tangata? which means What is the most important thing in the world? Some may think the answer is in creativity, leadership, power or money, but the New Zealand Maori’s answer is simply he tangata he tangata he tangata - It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.

People we can go to for advice, ask for help or information. People who inspire us and draw out our personalities or creativity. People who are rebels or wild explorers and challenge us to overcome fear and delve into adventure. People who lead. People who follow. People that are silent sages and those who verberate voice or song. People to share stories, time and wisdom. People to sit at bedsides for final goodbyes. People to laugh with, get silly and travel with. People we look forward to spending time with and those we avoid. People who enrich our character, to bounce ideas off of and to just do life with.

Jesus understood people. He gathered his disciples together - twelve of them - because he knew that after He left, they would need each other. Jesus shared his life, his teachings and even fish and bread with the crowds. People. “Jesus didn’t come into the world to make bad people good. He came into the world to make dead people live, Ravi Zacharias tells us. Jesus mingled with all sorts of people, but two of the most important things he asked us to do was to love God and love people, which isn’t always easy.

Sometimes, it’s letting go of my wants and desires and walk in step with the Lord as He strengthens my character so I can love others. That means loving them where they are on their journey, not my version of where they should be. God wants us to love everyone and He will work on their hearts. People. Jesus spoke to the people in parables because

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Matthew 13:13-23

I pray we see, hear and understand. Loving God and loving people.

doors

There is a short story called, “The Lady or the Tiger” by Frank Stockton that ends with an unsolvable problem. You see, a man must choose only one door and he doesn’t know if he will be devoured by the tiger or be embraced by his love. There are many times in our lives when we have to make choices and we really don’t know what’s behind the door we decide to open.

We worry. We wonder. Will it be the right job? Will this be the right person for me? Will the sun shine tomorrow? and if things don’t work out, what will I do? Am I doing all I can? Will I ever be forgiven? Was it the wrong or right decision? Will I ever be able to? Am I just imagining things?

And then you walk slowly to that door and touch the handle. Hesitant. You’ve made the decision to turn the knob. You decided that worrying isn’t going to open the way and wonder will never cease, You peek your head into the opening and realize; you worried for nothing. Simply because you decided to venture into whatever God has in store for you. He hasn’t gone anywhere. He has simply offered you a choice and you get to decide which door will lead you into the future. Freedom to choose. Peace in our decision.

The Retiring Carpenter Story
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. He would get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.” The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with shock, we realize we have to live in the house we built. If we could do it over, we’d do it differently. But we cannot go back. You are the carpenter. Each day, you hammer a nail, place a board, erect a wall. “Life is a do-it-yourself project,” someone has said. Your attitude and the choices you make today build the “house” you live in tomorrow. Build wisely!
Author Unknown

Jesus also said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

acceptance

At some point in our lives, we may need to recognize the need to accept ourselves and who we truly are. It feels like the calm waters of tranquility, but it doesn’t happen suddenly. It could take a lifetime, but there are so many that are restless with underlying currents of dissatisfaction. Others still need to explore who they are on this journey. They are looking for the roaring rapids, the wonderful waterfalls and the stormy seas to find their way and journey to where they want to be. Are we at peace where we are?

Not that we don’t stop growing in wisdom, creativity, knowledge; but we have to accept the fact that we can get to that place of understanding and accepting what we have become. We assume that people have to go through pain to change, but that’s not always necessary. Some people just choose to make the changes in their lives in a positive approach, like ripples on the water. Others notice that there’s something different with us when we do change. We see the sun’s reflection on the water and smile at what we see. Others are still in murky waters.

When we accept our potential and know that we have gifts and talents that are different from others, we can accept that as our purpose and act on them. To feel alive and let life take on a deeper meaning, we must go beyond the surface to experience a deeper meaning. You see, there’s always more sky beyond the cloud; there’s more water beneath the surface and there’s more me than just the physical self.

Jonah and the whale is a story of self-acceptance. God didn’t let Jonah get away with ignoring his calling. After sitting in the belly of the whale, Jonah realized that he had much more potential to fulfill. Does it matter how we got to this place in our lives? Perhaps, but more often, it matters with accepting who we are, where we are on this river of life and what we are going to start doing now to fulfill our potential. God always has lessons for us. He teaches us wave by wave on the seas of life. You just need to get in the boat and let the Master of the waves guide you.

For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there.”

Isaiah 28:10