Day 28: In the image of God

 My boys had a pent up desire to play. 

I was a little nervous about a long road trip without devices (except for a few movies for Zander) but they settled into the RV like a favorite pair of old jeans.  

We stopped in a Barstow for breakfast and supplies. There is a huge BNSF train yard there complete with a train museum.  We stopped on the way out of town to let Zander see the trains. He was overjoyed.  Like Christmas morning overjoyed. There were several retired trains that you could climb on surrounding the parking lot.  Zander ran from train to train climbing the stairs,  pointing out features - bell speakers,  knuckle couplers and ditch lights. We followed him with broad smiles.  Sharing his joy. 

I had asked everyone what they wanted this vacation - where we might go and what we might do - the concensus was adventure.  The kids wanted to explore.  So we headed into the Mohave to climb rocks,  go down slot canyons,  play in giant sand dunes and crawl through caves. There were some old walkie talkies in the RV that had been gifted to the boys a few years ago. They had hardly played with them.  I decided to pull them out to make the adventure -- more adventurous.... and to be able to let them explore slightly more independently knowing i could check in if I felt nervous. 

And so,  they spilled out into the desert. Ready to play.  They played hard. There were imaginary games, jokes and tag. There was climbing and exploring around the next bend. Building fires and roasting marshmallows. There were audiobooks and story telling.  

A few years ago,  I read a book on play called "Play: How it shapes the brain,  opens the imagination and shapes the soul." There's a lot in there that makes it hard to summarize.  But I guess I could say that I walked away with play being one of those qualities that are "in the image of God."

Watching my boys play -- allowing myself to play -- I felt that we were in harmony with the way God had created us to be.  Those qualities that we ascribe to the divine nature filled the space.  Play is for its own sake.  It is a type of flow.  You want to keep going.  To the next hill.  The next story.  The next round of tag. The next discovery.  Until you are tired.

When I look at creation, I can't help but think that God was at play when God spoke creation into being. And for 6 days God played until God rested.