We live in a culture that tells you to grow up fast and get work done quickly, but we serve a God that asks us to be still, and learn from the way that children live life. Life can have a way of bogging down our spiritual connection with God because of how busy we feel. Our spiritual practice this week invites us to let all the extra stuff in life fade away and to simply let yourself enjoy a moment with God.
All the things that you love in life have been given to you because your heavenly father knows you and what fills you with Joy. take a moment and think about the things that you love to do, what are the things that fill your heart with Joy? As an adult we can sometimes hear the word play and immediately think of things that we do not enjoy. There is a kind of play that pertains to adults as well.
this practice is much easier if you have children that still like to play because it is as simple as joining them as they play and receiving the joy of watching your child enjoy the blessing of life with you. This same truth applies to an adult that would like to play on their own, or with a spouse. Do something that you would not normally "let" yourself do. Go get some ice cream and watch a funny movie, go have a picnic outside in the yard, play a card came, do a puzzle, the list goes on and on.
At the core of this practice we are asking you to let yourself be a child again and soak up the joy of doing something that you love to do. Then in the moment that you are doing that(playing with your children, eating ice cream, playing a game etc.) pause and see God in the middle of that activity and recognize that he desires you to have life and life to the fullest. So here are some practical ways to allow yourself to play this week.
1) Decide what would be a "fun" thing or things to do this week.
2) Choose the time you plan on doing this activity
3) Get the materials you need to play in the ways you have decided.
4) Spend a few moments before you play to remind yourself that God desires this moment of joy for you.
5) DIVE IN WITH BOTH FEET, turn your phone off, turn off the news, and get away from the distraction of negativity or pressure to be somewhere else or doing something else.
6) Enjoy the time that God has given you and thank Him for reminding you to be a child.
7) share your experience with the people in your life (family& friends) and invite them to do the same in their life.
Celebrate Victory by practicing Joy
Grace and Peace,
Dustin B. Cooper
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