I was recently sitting on the porch enjoying the pleasant weather on what I’m assuming will be one of the last afternoons of summer.

My kiddos and their friend came racing out the door and grabbed up their scooters to ride up and down the street. After a while, they seemed to tire of their game, and I remembered I’d just bought a huge box of chalk. I set them loose with it — and they ended up drawing a roadway and a parking lot, complete with a city hall and a police office. They busied themselves quite quickly with something as simple as sidewalk chalk — and I couldn’t help but feel jealous.

What have we lost, dear readers, as adults? When did whimsy and fantasy depart our daily lives? Sure, I can have fun with chalk or crayons but I fear I will never be as excited or creative as these kiddos. It was so good to see their joy in the simple things, especially in our incredibly complex world. For those few moments, in their little chalk-made world, all the difficulties of life and the realities of COVID slipped away.

You could almost see it.

But what if it could be that simple for us, too? What if we could engage with these small pleasures and forget about the rest for a while? What good night come of a little relation, a little creativity and a little less stress and seriousness?

The Lord reminds us early and often not to worry. I know I’ve written about it before, but I could use the reminder again. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” I am not sure if He was thinking we should play with more sidewalk chalk, but I think the sentiment behind it is the same.

We cannot control everything that is happening — luckily, that is far beyond our pay grade. Though we often think it would be great to be in charge, I feel we would all be woefully inadequate. However, the Lord is completely in control — and we can lean in on that strength, and hold on to it. Perhaps, we can even have the faith of a child and engage in some enjoyment of the simple things in life that make it worthwhile. Maybe sidewalk chalk isn’t your thing – but I’m sure there’s a simple, pleasant activity you can undertake to rest your soul, and possibly let you give in to your creativity and enjoy yourself.

I know it’s been a hard road to walk, my friends, and I am not belittling that. But there has to be a balance in our lives of seriousness and frivolity — even in the little things. I pray this week you find some art to work on, some puzzles to do, or some birds to watch. Even these little glimmers of hope, though they seem so small, can bring a lot to your broken heart.