Around here, we are progressing through the warmth of summertime. A few of our summer days have been hectic, but many more have been serene enjoyment. The hours of daylight are diminishing ever so slightly. We have begun harvesting the early tomatoes. Students are beginning to think about a new school year.
We have been blessed with many grandchildren visits over the summer. When the two youngest come, we bring out a box of building toys, games, crayons, paper, wooden blocks, and a basket of small cars and trucks. We offer suggestions for how to proceed, and they choose how to use the time that is theirs. We converse with their parents and occasionally check on the young ones to offer encouragement on their industry.
Often, they want to show us what they have created, a drawing, an invention with wheels, a garage for the cars, all things imaginative. Their creations can occasionally exceed our understanding. In any event, we praise and offer gratitude. Before they leave, we post their artwork on the refrigerator, and the inventions they assembled are carefully stored, remaining intact until their next visit. The creative spirit endures. We desire to preserve what we value.
I think we can find symbolism and meaning in the art of play.
We share our enthusiasm for creative expression. There is something about us within our work. When we choose to give what we have made to someone, in a way, if the recipient treasures our gift of self-expression, they treasure us. Perhaps in this small way, we reflect the gracious love of our Creator.
I think that prayer is similar. It is self-expression, a gift of self to the One who is the source of all of our giftedness. It is a return to the Lord for the goodness of my life.
“How can I repay the LORD, for all the great good done for me?” (Psalm 116:12)
I think that in the faith life of our families, we find symbol and meaning. The ways we live together, the events we celebrate, the challenges we bear, hopes we share, the prayer we offer, in all these and more, we find where God gives life to our faith.
In our families, let us pray to God’s Holy Spirit to console us with the knowledge that we are all His treasures.