The Command to Play & Finding Spiritual Rest
The Sacred Command to Play
Take a slow breath right where you are, my friend. Let your shoulders drop away from your ears, unclench your jaw, and give yourself permission to simply be in this exact moment.
When we talk about healing the heart, we often jump straight to heavy emotional work—unpacking grief, tending to old wounds, or learning how to lower our guards. But during my Sabbath month, I learned that one of the most direct ways to unburden the heart and step into spiritual rest isn't through more processing; it is through play.
To the adult mind—especially to leaders, caretakers, and ministers—play can feel like an indulgence or a luxury we can only afford after everything else is done. Living in survival mode tricks us into believing that our worth is tied to our output and that rest must be earned. But in the kin-dom, play isn't a distraction from the work; it is the holy re-creation of our spirits. It is how we step away from constant demand and allow our hearts to align with a divine rhythm of joy.
I was reminded of this sacred truth while gathered in Raleigh, North Carolina, with 70 remarkable clergywomen at the Antoinette Brown Society gathering. On paper, I was there in a leadership capacity—helping plan and lead worship. Yet, because I was surrounded by women of deep faith, shared experience, and mutual support, the work didn't feel like labor. It felt like re-creational play. It was the joy of stepping into my gifts without the heavy burden of having to carry or manage the entire room on my own.
The Paradigm Shift: Performance vs. Sacred Re-Creation
Because I gave myself permission to step out of the grind and build in margin around the gathering, the trip held an even sweeter gift: reconnecting with family I hadn't seen in 20 years.
For two decades, life, ministry, and work kept moving at full speed, and visits were always deferred to "someday." But when you decide to stop letting your calendar be dictated by endless urgency, "someday" becomes today. Sitting across from family, sharing stories, laughing over old memories, and simply being present together was pure medicine for my heart.
Performance & Output (Survival State) | Sacred Play & Re-Creation (Aligned State) |
Treating margin and joy as optional luxuries | Honoring play as a holy requirement for wholeness |
Deferring sweet reunions until "everything is done" | Prioritizing real connection in the present moment |
Using gifts under the heavy weight of evaluation | Stepping into gifts for the pure joy of expression |
The Path to Spiritual Rest Through Adult Play
Play doesn't always mean games or sports; play is any unhurried space where your heart is allowed to come alive without a performance metric attached.
Play is expression: Stepping into your gifts for the pure joy of the expression, not for a grade, an evaluation, or an outcome.
Play is presence: Lingering at a dinner table for an extra hour with people who love you for who you are, not what you do.
Play is margin: Giving yourself permission to build unhurried space into your schedule so that life's sweetest reunions don't pass you by.
The Altar Call for Your Week
When you give yourself permission to play, you aren't wasting time—you are honoring the heart God gave you, letting it breathe, and stepping into true intimacy with God and yourself (IN TO ME SEE). You step out of the master-strategist's chair and allow your soul to celebrate the goodness of being alive.
🛑 Reflecting & Applying Today
Ponder: Where in your life have you treated joy, margin, or connection like an optional luxury rather than a holy requirement? What "someday" connection have you been putting off?
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the gift of re-creation and connection. Forgive me for holding my life so tightly that I forget how to play. Soften my heart, quiet the urge to always produce, and give me the grace to enjoy the margin You set before me. Amen.
Practice: Look at your schedule for this week and build in 30 minutes of non-negotiable margin. Use that time solely to do something that brings you zero productivity and 100% warmth—make that phone call you’ve deferred, take an unhurried walk, or linger over tea.
Play: Reclaim a simple form of adult restoration today. Put on a song that makes you want to dance in the kitchen, share a warm laugh with a friend, or step outside to watch the sky without checking your phone. Allow your heart to remember how to speak joy.
💬 Join the Conversation:
What is one simple way you can invite play or non-negotiable margin into your week? Share your heart in the comments below! 👇
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