Jan 2

Jan 2 Free to Run and Play: An Invitation to Joyfully Journey with Jesus

“Because you’ve always stood up for me,
I’m free to run and play.
I hold on to you for dear life,
and you hold me steady as a post.”

—a portion of Psalm 63, The Message Version

Walking hand-in-hand with Jesus can often feel like a leisurely, lovely stroll. (Maybe through a garden like this.) It can feel reminiscent of Psalm 23, where the good shepherd is described as one who leads us beside still waters.

And sometimes… it may be a bit more fast-paced than that.

I wonder—in times that we feel like we have too many plates spinning, where life’s requirements feel numerous, where we aren’t sure what to do with all the callings set before us—if Jesus may be inviting us to take our walk and turn it into a run.

What if the invitation is to trust him a little more and step just a little faster? Now, don’t get me wrong—there is a time and a place for slowness. It can revive our soul. But there is also a really wonderful place for running. For playtime. For fun.

What if some of us are in a season where the invitation is to run and play with Jesus, as we trust him to hold all things together (as Colossians 1:17 tells us he will). Running with Jesus, and trusting Jesus like this, requires faith and humility.

Faith, to know God as a refuge—as one who stands up for us and holds us steady, just as we see in the Psalm above.

Humility, to release our grip on people’s judgements of us, as we fix our eyes firmly on Jesus as our guide.

This brings us to what I would like to consider one of the happiest scriptures in the entire Bible. (PS: You may want to click that link for some additional imagery!)

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Malachi 4:2

Revering God above man, and trusting him fully, leads to the kind of freedom that has us running and playing our way through life. The imagery of frolicking like a well-fed calf seals the deal for me: that’s the kind of life I’m after.

I want an abundant life spent clinging to the hand of my Savior, seeking him daily, and moving at the pace he sets for me. I’ll end with this passage from Galatians that goes a little further into the idea of letting God set the pace.

This passage comes in chapter five after the apostle Paul has just described the life of one who walks in the Spirit. After listing all the good spiritual fruit that is theirs (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.), he goes on to say one last thing:

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another. Galatians 5:25-26

The idea we see here is that the Spirit has a set pace for each of us. That word, conceited, could also be described as “vain glory”. Or pride. Or being consumed with where you’re at in regards to others… eager for empty glory.

We are advised not to provoke others, or pressure them to be where we are. I think this is especially important in our spiritual lives and personal walks with God.

This scripture adds that we aren’t to envy others, or strive to be doing what they’re doing in their life with God.

We don’t want to hurry others along, or race to be where someone else is. We want to live by the Spirit, in freedom.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galatians 5:1

I hope today, that you’re encouraged to enjoy your walk with God. I hope you are able to seek his face, and ask the question: “Jesus, what do you have for me today?”

I hope you enjoy strolls through the hills and valleys that he takes you to, and if he is inviting you into a playful run, I hope you’ll feel courageous to accept the invitation.