The playfulness of God

Among the many excellent attributes of God is His wonderful playfulness.

We can look at God’s creation and see this beautifully displayed! If you were at the Pet Service on 7^th August you would have seen it in the animals attending. Author John Eldredge gives this description of playfulness in nature – “Polar bear cubs will hurl themselves down snowy hillsides headfirst and upside down, just for fun. Spinner dolphins love to romp in the bow-wake of a boat, cavorting, leaping into the air and, well, spinning. Otters play tag……..” Any time spent watching David Attenborough will have shown many other examples! We even say that the wind plays in the trees. How many recollections can you think of where you’ve seen playfulness in nature? Spend some time thinking about it now………

Romans 1 v 20

Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. 

And we know that we are created in God’s image and that human beings are, to a greater or lesser extent, intrinsically playful. Children especially so – and didn’t God say that we needed to be like children? Think about the games and pranks and jokes you played as a child and enjoy the memories for a while …….. harmless, playful fun is part of our created being and is part of God’s personality too. It’s a wonderful thing! Maybe we could revisit our playful character and allow it to seep back into our persona if it’s been lost or eroded along the way.

Genesis 1 v 27  So God created mankind in his own image,     in the image of God he created them;     male and female he created them..

Jesus suffered much but was also known for His joy – which makes sense as he’s anointed by his Father with the oil of joy 

Hebrews 1 v 8-9

But about the Son He says:

“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever,

and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness

and hated wickedness;

therefore God, Your God, has anointed You

above Your companions with the oil of joy.”

Some Bible scholars discuss the playfulness of Jesus throughout the gospels citing his use of literary puns that rhyme, funny nicknames and characterisation, irony, hyperbole, parabola, subtle acumen etc. If you have the time or inclination, you could spend some time finding out about these for yourself. But I wonder if we miss the playfulness of Jesus in some of the things he said and did because we can’t see his facial expressions or body language in the text. Perhaps we could pray for revelation as we read the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to show us the joy and playfulness of Christ.

So, I hope that you can feel encouraged to go out and embrace your playful side with joy! I’m off for a game of frisbee with my kids ?