This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” Zechariah 8:4-5
“A saint was once asked, while playing happily with his companions, what he would do if an angel told him that in a quarter of an hour he would die and have to appear before the judgment seat of God. The saint promptly replied that he would continue playing because he was certain these games were pleasing to God.”
John Bosco in A Dictionary of Quotes from the Saints, ed. Paul Thigpen (Charlotte: TAN Books, 2001) 199.
When we are focused on doing good works with we can easily fail to block time for play. Any of us can be guilty of this, especially during a pandemic when with short notice, any of us could die.
After finishing a full schedule of ministry work in Egypt, we blocked time for retreat together. It’s been rich to read the Scriptures, to do some fun activities together to build our relationships, and to rest.
I don’t know about you but I tend to not block enough time for play. It looks different for everyone and as Bosco notes, it pleases God. We should almost certainly play in moderation so it does not eat our margin for generosity, but we must also consider what it means to play generously.
We wrap up our retreat tomorrow and fly back to Cairo on 16 December. I am pray for some God to continue to guide our conversations and for moments of play today.