So a friend posted a video on facebook that made me smile. It was an advertisement with a very creative hook. Essentially, they got people to text different words as they waited for a bus (words like "bored" or "hurry up") and then something funny would happen in response (a circus would show up or a blonde in a sports car would pull up and offer a ride).
As I watched the video, I found myself experiencing something that I simply don't experience much anymore. A childlike experience called "whimsy" - a response of joy in my heart to a playfully creative or humorous experience.
Whimsy is what makes a place like Disney Land so attractive to a small child. Children get lost in the colors, characters, and fantasy of being someplace that is designed simply do delight them. I still remember the first time I rode the Pirates of the Caribbean - there was so much silliness, so many funny faces, so many details that existed for no other reason than to give me joy. And I did enjoy it. It was my favorite ride - well, that and the wonderfully chaotic experience of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
I have been back to Disney several times since my childhood with my own kids, and while I still enjoy Pirate of the Caribbean and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, they just aren't the same. I don't just see the funny faces and moving figures in the same way. I see faded paint and the hydraulic cables that run them and the track that we ride on and the dirt piled up in the dark corners. As we walk around, I don't just see fanciful characters in bright colors - I see tired workers and frustrated employees and overpriced churro stands (which really bums me out, because I love churros).
So, what happened? Well, in part, I grew up. I see the world differently. I understand better how it all works and why it all works the way it does.
Some of this is healthy, the result of maturity and a better underdstanding of capitalism and human nature. It is good that, even as I enjoy my overpriced hotdog, I never take my eye of my daughter who is lost in the wonder and illusion of safety in a place where things are not as they seem.
But some of this is actually quite sad. In growing up, in getting a keener eye for the way things "truly" are, I may have also diminished my ability to experience wonder, delight, and whimsy. This is sad because I believe that what we call "whimsy" is, in fact, a reflection of an aspect of our God's playful and joyful heart. We have a God who delights in delighting, who loves to surprise us with his creativity and generosity.
How sad if in growing up we outgrow our capacity for sponaeous joy and amusement. How sad if we, as followers of a delightful God, diminish in our ability to respond to his gentle nudges of whimsy.
So, I invite you to join me today in renewing my vision of delight. Here are a few suggestions:
Look outside. God, the Great Creator, has embued his creation with relfections of himself. Right now outside my window, it is snowing. The flakes are dancing in a current of wind. As I pause and watch them, I stop seeing the practical reality (it's cold, wet, and slick) - and instead see a dance of quiet beauty. Stop looking at the world around you and, instead, start seeing it.
Look at people around you. People can be hilarious - but I am not saying look at them to find something funny about them or to mock them. Look at them to see them. When you go home, don't just look at your kids or your spouse, see them. People are more than they seem. We are mud-men and mud-women created in the very image of God - and even though we're all messed up, and that image is marred - it's still there. Ask God to give you eyes to see it.
Find small pleasures with all your senses. Have you thought about the gift of your senses? God gave you the ability to touch and to taste and to feel and to hear and to see. Those gifts weren't given just to help you survive - they were given to you so that you could delight. Pause when you eat good food or hear a bird song or listen to good music or feel the touch of a loved one or see a glorious sunset. Pause. Slow down. Stop being so grown up and so busy and so scientific - and be a kid again. Delight and let your delight point you back to the God who delights in you.
As I watched the video, I found myself experiencing something that I simply don't experience much anymore. A childlike experience called "whimsy" - a response of joy in my heart to a playfully creative or humorous experience.
Whimsy is what makes a place like Disney Land so attractive to a small child. Children get lost in the colors, characters, and fantasy of being someplace that is designed simply do delight them. I still remember the first time I rode the Pirates of the Caribbean - there was so much silliness, so many funny faces, so many details that existed for no other reason than to give me joy. And I did enjoy it. It was my favorite ride - well, that and the wonderfully chaotic experience of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
I have been back to Disney several times since my childhood with my own kids, and while I still enjoy Pirate of the Caribbean and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, they just aren't the same. I don't just see the funny faces and moving figures in the same way. I see faded paint and the hydraulic cables that run them and the track that we ride on and the dirt piled up in the dark corners. As we walk around, I don't just see fanciful characters in bright colors - I see tired workers and frustrated employees and overpriced churro stands (which really bums me out, because I love churros).
So, what happened? Well, in part, I grew up. I see the world differently. I understand better how it all works and why it all works the way it does.
Some of this is healthy, the result of maturity and a better underdstanding of capitalism and human nature. It is good that, even as I enjoy my overpriced hotdog, I never take my eye of my daughter who is lost in the wonder and illusion of safety in a place where things are not as they seem.
But some of this is actually quite sad. In growing up, in getting a keener eye for the way things "truly" are, I may have also diminished my ability to experience wonder, delight, and whimsy. This is sad because I believe that what we call "whimsy" is, in fact, a reflection of an aspect of our God's playful and joyful heart. We have a God who delights in delighting, who loves to surprise us with his creativity and generosity.
How sad if in growing up we outgrow our capacity for sponaeous joy and amusement. How sad if we, as followers of a delightful God, diminish in our ability to respond to his gentle nudges of whimsy.
So, I invite you to join me today in renewing my vision of delight. Here are a few suggestions:
Look outside. God, the Great Creator, has embued his creation with relfections of himself. Right now outside my window, it is snowing. The flakes are dancing in a current of wind. As I pause and watch them, I stop seeing the practical reality (it's cold, wet, and slick) - and instead see a dance of quiet beauty. Stop looking at the world around you and, instead, start seeing it.
Look at people around you. People can be hilarious - but I am not saying look at them to find something funny about them or to mock them. Look at them to see them. When you go home, don't just look at your kids or your spouse, see them. People are more than they seem. We are mud-men and mud-women created in the very image of God - and even though we're all messed up, and that image is marred - it's still there. Ask God to give you eyes to see it.
Find small pleasures with all your senses. Have you thought about the gift of your senses? God gave you the ability to touch and to taste and to feel and to hear and to see. Those gifts weren't given just to help you survive - they were given to you so that you could delight. Pause when you eat good food or hear a bird song or listen to good music or feel the touch of a loved one or see a glorious sunset. Pause. Slow down. Stop being so grown up and so busy and so scientific - and be a kid again. Delight and let your delight point you back to the God who delights in you.
Comments
I am not gifted at all with words. In fact sometimes I cannot come up with a single phrase to explain what I'm thinking or feeling. And so often I DO stand in awe at the inexplicable things....like the fact that shadows on snow are blue....and that birds' wings make a fluttering noise....and that sunrises are NEVER the same as the morning before....and that, even in death, trees can be beautiful.
And in all those things, I love that God is reveling. And that He's inviting me to revel too.
Well put, Steve.
More importantly, thanko you for your feedback. I am glad it encouraged you!