Playground Design: Man vs. God

I would imagine that most boys and girls spend most of their time indoors. Surrounded by the creations of men. My boys have plenty of enjoyment at home, what with fascinating stories to be read and endless toys to play with. But they tire of these activities and begin seeking strife, food, and television to entertain themselves.

Instead of giving into such poor amusements, we prefer to get outside. To most of us apartment dwellers, getting children outdoors means going to the playground. The man-made steps and slides, the carefully contained play areas ("No! The sand stays IN the sandbox!"), the enclosing sidewalk. The plastic bucket and shovel combined with the natural sand and sky make for longer contented play than the totally man-made environment of home.

But the playground that God created, which we call Earth, is infinitely better. When we leave all toys behind, when we leave the sterile, manicured garden or park, and tromp around in the dirt, leaves, sticks and spiders, we have the most fascinating toys, the most refreshing surroundings. Our blood pressure plummets, and we don't fight over the shovel. Where Big Bro has found one beetle, there is sure to be another nearby for Little Bro -- the hunt is half the fun -- and listen, did you hear the dove? Will my breath dislodge the seeds of this dandelion as easily as the last? Here, you try one too. What's around that bend? Oooh! Mud! There wasn't any mud here last time...

Why do we try to compete? The Master Playground Designer gives us an ever-changing, living, soul-filling world in which to romp, climb and explore. The sandbox is nice if we're too tired to follow the kids through the woods or too lazy to get the moss stains out of their pants. But I've become convinced that true contentment, and true childhood, is found out with the tree roots and worms.

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