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ROKU AppSpiritual Insights via Play-Doh
Written by Andrea West
From time to time we catch a glimpse of what God has done for us. A recent glimpse came to me while I played with my 4-year-old granddaughter and Play-Doh.
One of our greatest pleasures since my husband and I became grandparents 21 years ago has been the time we have gotten to spend with our five grandchildren. We don’t have the blessing of living close to our children and grandchildren; so every so often, when my grandma’s heart can’t take it any longer, we head to Texas where our two sons and their wives, our daughter and her husband and our five grandchildren live.
Our most recent trip was over the week of Thanksgiving, and our first stop was at the home of our son Jon. Jon and our daughter-in-law Jan are the parents of our youngest grandchild, Hailey Grace. Hailey just turned 4 in December.
“Let’s go play, Grandma!”
Hailey has a playroom; and very soon after we arrived, she grabbed my hand and said, “Let’s go play, Grandma!” And so we did. We were at their home for two days, and over the two days we cooked in Hailey’s play kitchen, ate multiple “pretend” foods, played with dolls and laughed together as she played dress-up, read books and did many other things.
But the thing Hailey wanted to do most was play with Play-Doh. As I sat playing with Hailey for an extended period of time—rolling out Play-Doh over and over into what she called her “crust pie”—I couldn’t help but think how different my regular world is from Hailey’s.
Playing with Play-Doh can teach you things
I don’t normally get excited about Play-Doh, but I do get excited about spending time with my granddaughter. Not only do I enjoy her current age, but I also want to have a part in the person she is going to become.
I realize that Hailey can’t come into my world yet. She is a child. If I am going to share in the person she is to become, then I must come into her world and interact with her at her level. As we play, hopefully she sees a pattern to follow as I try to be part of the family group that is working to lead and guide her in right behavior.
I was pondering these thoughts later that evening when I was able to “rejoin” the adult world. I realized that no matter how much I enjoyed playing with my granddaughter, it was also very enjoyable to be with Jon, Jan and my husband, Roger. Full communication that allows the sharing of my life and thoughts is possible with adults in a way that isn’t possible now with Hailey.
A glimpse
This is when I caught a glimpse into the world of Jesus Christ—a glimpse that gave me more understanding of His purpose for coming in the flesh, as well as what He must have missed during His years here on the earth.
Just as Hailey needs me to come into her world if I am to help her grow and mature toward adulthood, we humans desperately needed Jesus Christ to come into our world if we were to have any hope of becoming children of God (John 1:12). And He did just that!
He emptied Himself for a time to come in the flesh, but now He has returned back to the throne of our Father to continue Their purpose for us. Ephesians 4:13 shows God’s purpose is for us to become mature, attaining “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” He came into our world so we could see a pattern of behavior to guide us as we walk toward the Kingdom of God.
Blessings in two directions
The two days I had with Hailey Grace gave me the pleasure of spending time with this little girl that I love, but it also brought a deeper gratitude and appreciation for the love that brought our Lord Jesus Christ into our world so that He could eventually bring us into His world.
Also, as we visited with Jon and Jan on an adult level, awareness came to me for the first time of the joy our Father and His Son must have felt as they regained the close companionship of “like minds” when Jesus sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19).
Andrea West lives in Arkansas. Her husband, Roger, pastors three congregations in western Arkansas. They have enjoyed their years of serving and sharing their lives with the brethren in many areas since 1965. They are thankful for their wonderful family, which includes their five grandchildren.
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