Our young people say, "there is no place to go," and "there is nothing to do." It takes a little time to bring them to the Christian idea of recreation.

Christian recreation is truly re-creation, a renewal, a re-gathering, a re-collecting. Recreation is, above all, a change from the everyday routine. And it doesn’t mean doing nothing, which is very boring. Recreation means to re-create, to make new.

It is done with God, for God, for his honor and glory. It includes self-expression, imagination, creativity, and leadership.

Let me be explicit. You might be swimming and having fun, then afterward, lying in the sun, you take a little snooze. Or you might be reading a book quietly, re-creating your mind with new understanding.

Some ideas for recreation include folk dancing or learning a new handicraft, or creating a work of art, for in creating beauty, one re-creates oneself. Nature study, sports, gardening, reading aloud, and the art of story telling are all possibilities for re-creating oneself.

—Adapted from Grace in Every Season, 2001, pp. 162-163, June 12, available from Madonna House Publications.