As most kids do, I like to play, and I have learned that even in play, you can make a difference and influence those around you to have better behavior, or you can change your behavior and behave like them. In other words, you can be a thermometer that adjusts to the temperature (or temperament) of those around you, or you can be a thermostat and help to adjust the temperature (or temperament) of those around you through intentional play.
For example, one time, a group of young people and I were working with some pretty well-behaved kids. Near the end of our play time and before the worship story, we were eating watermelon. However, there was not an overabundance of watermelon, so we made sure everyone shared.
Later that evening, some of the kids got cold during story time. One mother noticed that her two boys were shivering and brought each of them a blanket. Then their friends asked them to share because they were cold too. We were glad to see the younger one who got his blanket first happily share it immediately. But right after the younger brother got his blanket, the teacher began praying. So the two boys who had asked them to share stopped and bowed their heads. But the older brother didn’t notice the teacher praying and, because he so wanted to share, he started complaining that the cold boys wouldn’t let him. We couldn’t help smiling.
Another time, we were doing yard work around the Learning Center when some kids came by and wanted to play with us. We told them we were busy cleaning up the yard, but they could help if they wanted to. We loaded the wheelbarrow extra high with sticks and started pushing, but the sticks kept catching on something and falling off, so we asked one of the kids to climb onto the wheelbarrow. When he did, his body’s weight held the sticks down so we could move more sticks at a time, and it was fun for him. The kids took turns helping us. After that, they would come ask to work with us, not just play. So, from that experience, they learned the value of work and that work can be fun.
From this, we can derive that first, it is important to be intentional in everything that we do, to be thermostats and not thermometers, and to use every opportunity we get to share God with others, even through our play. And second, as thermostats, we make sure God is the one adjusting us because otherwise we can change the temperature (temperament) for the worse.
