When I first read Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, I was a little shocked that play and recreation made it onto Peter Scazzero’s list of spiritual disciplines. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how essential these activities are to our well-being. True recreation leads to the “re-creation” of our bodies, minds, and spirits, which allows us to worship God more deeply and serve Him more effectively.

Psychologists describe play as any activity that is voluntary, flexible, and enjoyable.

With four children in our family, I have read hundreds of children’s books over the years. One stands out as having some important lessons about play and recreation: The King’s Stilts by Dr. Seuss (I’ll share a condensed version, but you can hear the whole story here).

Once upon a time, a king and his people lived on a beautiful island in the middle of the ocean. The people lived happy lives and only had one concern: the tide. You see, the island was a sunken island and the high tides could easily wash away the people. Fortunately, the inhabitants had planted trees around the perimeter of the island. These trees, with their tightly interwoven roots, kept the tidal waters at bay. The only problem was that a certain type of bird loved to eat the roots that served as a protective wall around the island.

The king knew what he had to do. He personally trained an army of cats to chase away the root-eating birds. Every day, the king would wake up early to take care of his royal duties. He would then marshal his cat troops, train them, and set them loose to protect the island.

As you can imagine, the king’s work was exhausting. However, there was something that the king did at the end of every day that filled him with energy. He would go to his closet and pull out a pair of red stilts.

The king loved his red stilts. He would excitedly climb on them and run around the kingdom with a child-like abandon. After his play time, the king felt refreshed, energized, and ready for another busy day at the office.

It’s easy for us to get stuck in ruts when it comes to our thought patterns. One of the best ways to break out of those ruts is to expose ourselves to divergent ideas, even ideas that appear radical or may seem impossible. When we reflect meaningfully on new ideas, they can create dissonance in our lives. We begin to realize that perhaps our current ways of thinking are inadequate, and we need to deepen or expand them. This growth process can be painful, but the reward is a greater openness to new possibilities and an increased capacity to seize related opportunities.

Here are some practical ways that we can break free from entrenched ways of thinking:

Read, Listen and Watch Widely

Today, we have instant access to a wealth of information. I can read a blog, download an e-book, listen to a podcast, and watch a YouTube video in a very short amount of time. Of course, not everything on the internet is helpful. We must be discerning about the information we digest. We also need to take the necessary time to reflect meaningfully on the ideas that seem important. How might these ideas help me grow in my relationship with God? How can they help me serve Him more effectively? How might they help me address a current challenge or opportunity? How might they position me to better live out God’s calling on my life? Deep application of important ideas takes time and intentional effort (here's a past blog on how to read with discernment).  

Engage in Training

Last month, I had the privilege of attending a Renovated Parenting Conference put on by MinistryLift. I came away with many ideas—some were new while others were excellent reminders. After each teaching session, we had an opportunity to work through questions in table groups. It was a great way of extending and personalizing the content. Taking time out of our busy schedule to attend a training event can help us think in better ways about what is important to us.

Rivendell, an Elven realm in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, is a beautiful haven of rest – a place protected from the dangers plaguing Middle Earth. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien describes the peace that Frodo and his companions experience in Rivendell after narrowly escaping the evil forces bent on destroying them. In Rivendell, 

The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present.

Tolkien’s description captures something of the essence of Sabbath. When we practice Sabbath, whether it’s setting aside a full day or part of a day each week, we experience rest and peace amidst the rigors of life. In his book, The Rest of God, Mark Buchanan says we experience Sabbath when we stop doing what is necessary and do that which gives life. Life’s obligations and challenges don’t go away, but practicing Sabbath gives us a break from them and affords us the space to replenish ourselves and refocus on God and His priorities.

The Bible clearly teaches the importance of observing a Sabbath day of rest. God, Himself, rested after His creation work (Genesis 2:3). Did He need to rest? No. But by resting, God set an example for His human creation—the ones He made in His image—so that we would live maximum lives in keeping with His design for us.

Walter Brueggemann, in Reverberations of Faith, said:

Sabbath provides a visible testimony that God is at the center of life—that human production and consumption take place in a world ordered, blessed, and restrained by the God of all creation.

Practicing Sabbath is an acknowledgment that God is in control and that we trust Him to look after His creation (including us) as we rest. For those of us who struggle with workaholic tendencies, taking a daylong break from what is necessary breaks us free from our compulsion to engage in excessive work activities. Sometimes, we are motivated to work excessively because we believe we have financial needs. Other times, we simply work too much because we want more of things we don’t necessarily need. In both cases, taking a day off will help us to refocus on God as the One who provides and to realign our priorities in keeping with His desires.