Playtime with a Purpose

Do you remember watching Mary Poppins as a kid?  Remember the scene where Mary walks in to find the trashed playroom, and tells the Banks children it’s time to “tidy up the nursery.”  She goes around snapping her fingers and singing, merging the dreaded “clean-up time” with a super-fun “playtime!”  Making every second of fun, have an element of purpose in it, Mary Poppins inspired me many years ago.

One of my favorite parts of now serving as a stay-at-home-mom means that I get to play with my son all day long!  His smiles and giggles bring me great delight, and being able to watch him grow up and change each day has been one of the greatest privileges I’ve been given!  However, I have been compelled to adopt the philosophy of “playtime with a purpose.” Each day is focused, and I pray that as Caleb’s little brain is taking in everything around him, perhaps he’s even grasping some of the things I’m trying to teach him day after day. 

I’ve established that each day, in our home, has a theme, or a focus, and I try hard to make sure that every aspect of the day revolves around that focus.  For example, the other day, we focused on learning about Jonah.  That meant that we ate goldfish crackers for a snack, played in his kiddie pool outside, talking about big fish in the ocean while Caleb “swam around”.  We read the story of Jonah in the bible several times throughout the day (My son is a big-time reader!), and I even dressed him in a shirt with a big whale on it.

I know that you may be thinking, Beth, I have WAY surpassed the “baby phase”, or not even come close to that stage…. how does this help me?  Well, here’s what I believe about “playtime with a purpose” and how everyone can adopt this strategy.

Each morning, it’s important to focus your day on something: hence why it’s incredibly important to spend time with the Lord in the morning, with efforts of syncing your day into His lifestyle choices.  Whether it’s reading a quick few verses of scripture and devotional as you run out the door, or working through a bible study, riding on the bus on the way to school, spending time with the Lord each day is crucial to making your life purposeful.  So, start there.

Then, based upon what you learned, use that focus, to direct your day.  So, if you read about trusting in the Lord that morning, then as different challenges and conversations come your way, approach them with an attitude of trusting the Lord to provide you with wisdom and understanding to handle those things making your daily routine, and your “playtime”…. purposeful!

You may not have to blow up your kiddie pool in the backyard, and jump in and out of it to keep your days full of purpose.  Instead, why don’t you take your already busy schedules and choose to make them focused on what was established for you in your time with the Lord each morning!  Caleb and I will do it today….will you commit to do the same?