The Game of Life

Last weekend, Daddy, Anton, Kayla and I played a couple games of Life. You remember the board game: Little plastic cars, pink and blue peg people, paper money, and - in our case - a spinner that wobbled and never quite spun smoothly around. Anton won almost every single game we played. His strategy: skip college, get stock and buy all the insurance you can.

With this board game you draw from two decks of cards for a career and salary. If you have a college degree, you can choose three and pick the best. You sometimes land on a space which allows you to trade salaries with any player. You get married, buy a house, have children and go along the winding path of life through all the travails and successes the journey brings. And when you retire, you end up on some estate surrounded by piles of money. Ahhhh, yes, just like real life.

Obviously that last bit was sarcasm. Not everyone ends up in the lap of luxury in their golden years. Daddy instead likes to call it the "laugh of luxury" as in it's a big joke. You may be blessed financially, but you may also be like the majority of the world and work paycheck to paycheck for a living. But the game is pretty accurate with regards to the spin of the wheel. You just never know what space you're are going to land on. Sometimes there is a fork in the road and you can pick which way you want to go. And sometimes you land on a space that takes a chunk of change out of those stock piles. You just never know what may come your way.

And honestly that's the way of it. Daddy and I have had some bizarre things happen in our marriage. The filled septic tank that backed up into our Georgia basement. Our grease-filled pipes and the drive-by shooting in Tennessee. Car accidents. Medical emergencies. Making new friends. Betrayals by old ones. Those many job and location changes with their salary ups and downs. Plus awards, adventurous vacations, unique pets, grief, mission trips and precious children. It's been a wild ride.

There is no happily ever after. I don't want to pop your Disney fairytale balloon, but it will not always be happy. It will not always be successful or profitable. It will not always be sunshine and roses. But we will tell you what it always will be. It will be to God's glory. As Romans 8:28 says, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." It may not be the good you expect or hope for, but it will good to God's fame and glory and purpose. Everyone of the trials we experienced taught us something and made us stronger. Each in their own way brought us closer to our Father or to His children. Our joys came not just with successes and financial growth, but in love, persevering and conquering.  

You two blue and pink peg people will hop in your cars and begin this journey together very soon. And we pray you will have more highs than lows together. But regardless of the spin of the wheel, know that you are in Good Hands of the One who is in control of all things. 

Discussion: What do you think is the key to success in the game of life? How is it possible that trials can actually be good? How do you measure success?

Prayer: Father we give our lives to You and pray you watch over us in the years ahead, through the ups and downs of our life journey. And we pray through it all, that people will know to Whom we belong as we give all glory to you. In Christ, Amen.

Pressure Washing

The other day I finally tried out my pressure washer. I got it for next to nothing at TJMaxx around Christmas and was excited to try it out on the driveway or sidewalk. Thought I would try it out on the walkway to the side door first. It worked. Through the direct intense pressure of the water, the dark stains on the cement walkway lifted and washed away. But let me tell you something, the nozzle is very narrow, so the area cleaned in one pass was maybe a half inch in diameter. Imagine going back and forth over every single half inch of a walkway to clean it. It took forever to do it. It looked fabulous, but I wondered if I would ever use it to do the entire driveway or sidewalk. It wasn't until after I finished that I discovered the washer came with a second nozzle with a wider spray. Sigh.

While using the pressure washer I thought of myself as a sinner in God's eyes and how often He uses various circumstances in my life to blast away the sin. Things will happen to force me to take a good look at myself, my behavior and choices. If they are not in line with what Scripture recommends, it's time for a good cleaning. But like the pressure washer, it's tackles just a bit at a time. Made me really grateful for Jesus. In one swoop, He made me whiter than snow. Does that mean God won't utilize a little pressure to get us to take notice of particular sin in our life? No, He most certainly will. He wants us to make good choices and grow ever closer in imitating our Lord. Sometimes it takes a bit of pressure to make that change.

In Deuteronomy 8:3 Moses tells the Israelites, "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD." In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul talks about a "thorn" in his flesh to keep him from becoming conceited.

This used a lot as an example, but look at the diamond. Once a lump of coal, after years of pressure, it's become the hardest substance on earth and when faceted, is breathtakingly beautiful. I think that is what God wants of us.

So when you undergo circumstances in your marriage and life that may not seem fair, or life throws various trials at you, take stock of the situation and truly examine first what might need to change in your life. The circumstance may have nothing at all to do with you, but then again, it might. So go in prayer to the Father and ask for wisdom. James 1:5 "If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you." He will give you clarity. There are many trials ahead, but in the words of James 1:2-4 "Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing." And hang in there. If a diamond is the end result, you will be breathtakingly beautiful.

Discussion: Tell about a trial or circumstance you faced that made you a better person?

Prayer: Father, we don't welcome trials in our life, but know they make us better. When they come, we pray you give us discernment and strength. May we through them become mature and complete. We love you. In Jesus, Amen.