Playtime in the Holy Instant
Play as a Path to the Holy Instant
When I first heard today’s prompt, “Do you play in daily life? What says ‘playtime’ to you?” my immediate reaction was to reflect on how much of my life has been shaped by responsibility, resilience, and an ongoing quest for spiritual healing. Play hasn’t always felt like a natural part of my experience. Yet, as I’ve deepened my walk with God, I’ve come to see play as something more profound—a bridge to the Holy Instant, a moment of pure presence with God and unconditional Love.
Play, for me, is about releasing the need to constantly strive and it’s about surrendering to the joy of being. It’s about allowing life and God’s love to flow through me without resistance, whether I’m creating art, mountain biking, or walking in nature.
Rediscovering Joy Through Play
As I’ve moved through adulthood, I’ve found that play can be a way of reconnecting with my true self—the self God created in His image.
For me, play often takes the form of quiet, restorative moments. It might look like sketching something abstract, running my fingers over the keys of a piano, or meditatively ambling through an old-growth forest. These activities help me enter the Holy Instant, where the past and future fall away, and I experience the eternal now.
Jesus reminds us of the importance of childlike joy and trust:
“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).
Play invites us to embrace this childlike openness, where we are free to delight in God’s creation and feel His presence in the simplicity of the moment.
Healing Through Play and Overcoming the Ego
The busyness and fears of daily life often pull us away from God’s peace, drawing our attention to the worries of the world. Yet Jesus teaches us:
“Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).
Play—pure, unstructured joy—becomes a way to step into the present moment, where God’s grace is sufficient and His peace surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
I notice a subtle shift when I engage in play, whether through art, walking barefoot by the lake shore, or watching the Northern Lights. It’s as if I’m stepping away from the world’s demands and aligning with the light of God’s truth. These moments remind me that healing doesn’t come from effort or striving. It comes from allowing God to work in me and through me.
The Holy Instant as Divine Play
In the Holy Instant, we experience God’s Love beyond comprehension. It’s where we are held, whole, and at peace. I feel this divine energy when I lose myself in something playful—when time disappears, and I’m simply immersed in the joy of being.
As Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 reminds us:
“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”
Play becomes a way to embrace this gift, stepping into the freedom and joy God desires for us.
What Play Says to Me
Play, for me, whispers: You are safe. You are loved. You are free to be. It’s not about abandoning responsibility but balancing life’s weight with moments of joy and presence. Play reminds me of the beauty and ease always available in the eternal now.
So today, I invite you to consider: What does playtime mean to you? Could it be a doorway to your own Holy Instant, a way to let go of fear and rest in the Love that is your birthright?
Let’s lean into this question together and see where it takes us.
Spiral Up! 
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