Playgrounds

“The LORD will guide you always, he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.” Isaiah 58:11a

I remember passing by an abandoned playground once when I was in Lancaster. The frame of the swing set was warped and disfigured and the grass was so high I wouldn’t have dared walk through it. When I would baby sit children, I remember taking them to this park. This time there was a strange emptiness that surrounded this park which no longer bore life. The crooked swings hung lifeless on a frame that was no longer sufficient to hold life and unmanicured grass invited nothing more than snakes. Laughter was only echoes of time past with nothing there in the present.

We all will experience this same type of emptiness where joy once lived and discontent where satisfaction once ruled. We long for the days of play, joy, connection and contentment. Much like playgrounds, if we do not make intentional attempts to manicure our hearts and mind we invite the enemy to infiltrate and tear down the very areas that have brought us joy and satisfaction in this past.

Through the guidance of Christ we can break free from any emptiness no matter what we are experiencing. We can be satisfied in Christ apart from our circumstances. The key is focus. Where does our focus lay? Do we get lost and stuck in the past which prevents us from freedom in the present? Do we only revisit the echoes in our mind as a means to break free from giving us assurance for the future?

The empty playgrounds in our hearts will become the enemy’s playground haunting us if we do not surround ourselves with the appropriate tools for upkeep. We must manicure our grounds and maintain our frames to assure joy, contentment and complete satisfaction in Him.

Through Christ let us bring life back into the playgrounds of our hearts and swing through the present with child-like joy and freedom.