A Trip To The Playground

Oh how I use to love going to the playground! I think perhaps my favorite part about it was climbing on top of the monkey bars and looking down on everything and thinking to myself "How great is this, I can see things so clearly from high above and on top of that, I am on top of the WORLD!"

It is even that much more fun these days when I get the chance to share this experience with my children. It usually starts out early that morning when I announce to the family "What do you say we go to the park later this afternoon?" Well as you can imagine that idea makes me a huge hit instantly (and probably scores me a few points with the kids that I can cash in later HAHA) but the key factor in the invitation is that it will take place LATER in the day. Well after a few hours of asking "Is it time to go to the park yet?" Charlene and I agree that now is the time so we load up in the car and head for the park. Upon arrival it is shear pleasure, excitment and a sense of adventure as Charlene and I lead the way (both of us seeing who can get to the swings first HAHA). Sounds like alot of fun dosen't it? Well I must admit there was once a time when my kids DREADED going to the park and the reason why........ME! Let me explain

As much as I loved going to the park as a kid, and as much as I waited to share that experience with my children the first few times we took our kids to the park, I made it miserable for them and why you might ask? Because of the RULES I placed on them upon arrival. Here we were taking our kids to a fun/free/exciting/adventure filled place where they could run and enjoy just being in the presence of joy but instead they heard the following words from Me their Father; "Don't climb to high", "Don't run to fast", "Don't jump off of that" well you get the picture. Well finally a very wise woman (my wife Charlene) taught me that we had brought our children to the park to be free and just enjoy themselves. She assured me that indeed our children probably would skin up their knee or perhaps they might even bleed a little however, all of the pain and suffering for them would be worth it and if I didn't believe that I could just ask them. From that point forward I started to release the demands I ahd placed on them and just let them be children playing on the playground.

This got me to thinking about my spiritual walk with the Lord. 11years ago when I was 29 I gave into the lifetime pursuit that Christ had for me. Through those 29 years Jesus NEVER stopped pursuing me and the reason why, is because He knew that I belonged to Him and nothing was going to change that (Ephesians 1:4-6). When I gave myself to the Lord and repented and confessed Him as my Lord/Savior/Redeemer and was baptised into Him, it was at that time that I entered into the spiritual "park" God has wanted to take me to for all the previous 29years. We must realize that we have RECEIVED the FREE GIFT of salvation through what Christ Jesus has already done for us, and nothing you and I have done or will do can add to what the sacrifice of the cross has already done. When we are released into the "playground" of salvation through Jesus Christ it is suppose to be fun/exciting/adverture and most of all FREE. Remember the story I shared with you about placing rules on my kids once I released them into the playground, and how I had made what was intended to be freeing/fun/exciting, I had made miserable? Let's not do the same with ourselves or our brother and sisters by placing rules and regulations on their spiritual walk. Let us always remember to ask ourselves the question "Is this a salvational issue?" If we realize what we are saying or doing or placing upon someone is not, then let's run and play on the palyground that God paid a high price for us to enjoy and return to a Childlike Faith.