Devotional Thought: A Theology of Recreation

I once heard a story about an umpire at a major league baseball game. As the story goes, in between innings the umpire took a baseball, one that was scuffed up and unable to be used for the game, and gave it to a young kid in the crowd. But instead of just tossing it in the kid’s direction and moving on, as is usually the case, the umpire had a special set of instructions for the child. He said, “I want you to take this home, but don’t put it in a case or on a shelf. I want you to play with it. Baseballs are meant to be played with.” I believe that there is something we all should connect with in this story, not because it is about America’s Pastime, but because it reflects a theology of recreation.

We American Christians are not known for having a very good theology of recreation, not just because this one doctrine has gone largely unnoticed, but because for the most part we don’t have a robust theology of anything. We compartmentalize our lives, drawing lines between sacred and secular pursuits. We assume that theology only pertains to what happens at church, not our everyday activities. We find no significance in our vocations because we do not have a theology of work. We find ourselves wanting to be “called into ministry” because we do not have a theology of homemaking. And we cannot fully enjoy our times of rest because we do not have a theology of recreation.

So, what then is a theology of recreation? It is recognizing that God is Lord over all of our actions, including our play. It is understanding that God created the world and deemed it “good.” That means that if we properly comprehend His creation in our lives we can enjoy the fruit of His labors. We tend to think of creation as referring only to nature, but God also created the human body, as well as human ingenuity. In our society these two forces combine to create such enjoyments as baseball, yard work, hiking trails, and even the hammock. Once we obtain an understanding of a theology of recreation we can enjoy all of these for what they are: a way to honor God with our time.

The obvious critique of this is that there are much more important things than recreation, such as evangelism, promoting justice, and protecting the innocent. And we should never become so concerned with our own pleasure that we neglect these godly callings. Too often we can tend toward apathy and fulfilling our own selfish desires instead of taking up these causes. But, as Believers who have surrendered our lives to Christ, we must find balance in our lives. Sometimes playing baseball on Saturday allows us to more effectively love our neighbor on Monday.

Family Matters

One of the great hallmarks of Christianity is the importance of the family. Even a cursory reading of the Bible, especially the New Testament, shows that God clearly values the family unit. Plenty of sociological, psychological and economic data proves that a stable home is the best place for the individual to thrive. Here in our own country many churches do a fantastic job of promoting families and encouraging their members to create loving homes, efforts that certainly are to be commended. Unfortunately, many times we are known in the media for what we are against, instead of what we are for. Christians are generally seen as a people who are against homosexuals, against divorce and against promiscuous sex, when we could just as easily be known for promoting two-parent homes, committed relationships and the trust and love that comes with monogamy.

Often our bad image comes as a result of the issues we choose to focus on. During the 1990s one didn’t have to look far to find a Christian leader condemning President Clinton for his extramarital affairs. This critique came because they claimed that the President was a role model, which meant he is harming families all across the nation by what his lifestyle was promoting. While that may verywell be true, I believe that in order to accurately reflect biblical doctrine, we must not simply condemn, but also must promote the good.

This past weekend President Obama made news for his weekend activities. He was seen attending his daughter’s soccer game, and then boarding a jet to take his wife out on a date. But instead of being praised for promoting the role of a good husband and father, he was attacked for “wasting tax-payer dollars.”

The current state of the family is certainly in disarray. Divorce, child-abuse (or neglect) and dysfunctional homes are all too common. That is why it should be so refreshing to see a man being there for his daughter, and showing love to his wife. Even if one disagrees with his policies, all Christians should applaud his commitment to his family. It is true that the President is an important role model, which is why we should all thank God that this president seems to believe that family does truly matter.