The Power of Pretending

When children play, they imagine themselves in roles other than their normal selves. They enter into internal projections much larger than life. They pretend. When they explore these roles, they often discover the bud of their true person, whom they can become as they mature.
When little boys become strong warriors and little girls become princesses, they foretaste what is hidden in the depths of their hearts. It awakens a hunger to truly become that which they imagine themselves to be.

So powerful is this hunger that it often grows to eclipse the "real" world. That's why its so hard to break for dinner when a child is in the zone. They are actually exploring something more real than the dinner table at that moment.

Pretending is a vital element of self discovery. It is important for the growth and development of confidence in children and I believe also very much so, adults. Perhaps this is why Jesus said that we must "convert" (literally turn around) and become as little children again in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Children are uninhibited in their ability to imagine; to see that which is and yet is not fully manifest. It is through the imagination that we see the invisible. It is here that we envision what we want to see happen in the external world. Imagination is the clothing and the language of the Spirit. It is the seedbed of all action.

Pretending utilizes the imagination to bring into being that which is not (or not yet). It unlocks the part of us needed to realize the dreams we carry inside.

Comments

  1. it can be very intense too. I used to "play" out doors with my friends when I was young. There were some that had to go home to dinner at 5pm and they would leave. The rest of us stayed involved in whatever our imaginations held us to. When the "5pm kids" were finished, they would come back out and the 5:30 kids would leave to go eat. I usually showed up at home about 8pm or later (I mean, like as a 6, 7 or 8 year old) and my dinner would be cold, hard and crusty on the table where my mom left it after the rest of my family finished. At the time, I was good with that. Now I wonder what is wrong with this picture....? We are shaped into who we are at a young age I guess....my brothers were always home for dinner and I can't imagine allowing my kids to do that. I just wonder what my parents were thinking....I rode my bike around town from the time I was 5. My parents rarely knew where I was....I would ride a mile or 2 away and jump on somebody's trampoline....or go to the public swimming pool and walk 8 blocks home at age 5 and 6....I know, things were different back then, but they didn't know where I was!! I just think it is odd....:/

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