Life Is Like a Scrabble Game
As I write this, I hope you understand that there I mean no disrespect, but I’ve been pondering the notion that living the Christian life is somewhat like playing a Scrabble game. In this kind of word game, the players are dealt seven random letters to be used in forming words to play on the game board. Of course, there are restrictions and rules that make it impossible to play certain words, which is terribly frustrating. Another complication is that sometimes forming a word to connect to the board is extremely difficult because of the limitations of the letters you are dealt--the letters seem to be everything but what you need. For example, if you have vowels, but need consonants, it seems that all you are dealt is more vowels, and vice versa, while the one who has the Qs and Xs and Js (all high value letters) seem to have no trouble making more. Frustration also occurs if you have the perfect word and no place to play that word. Even worse, sometimes you can’t see the possibilities of a word you could have made until you have played, and then, of course, you see the possibilities immediately, and you mourn over the points you could have scored that would have put you into the win column for that game. I’m hoping you’re starting to see the connections, but just in case I’m being a little too “out there” for you, let me elaborate…
1. The random letters dealt in these word games reminds me of the sometimes seemingly random events we are dealt in life. We must make the circumstances work for God’s glory no matter how seemingly impossible the odds seem. The difference is that what God places in our lives, unlike computer-generated Scrabble games, is not random. He has a definite plan for each of us and His followers can be assured that He is ultimately in control no matter what comes our way. (See Jer. 29:11)
2. The rules that can sometimes be frustrating are analogous to living in a way that brings God glory. We all know shortcuts that we could take and there are “easier” ways to do things that circumvent the rules, but in the end, they just aren’t allowed—with good reason! (See…God’s Holy Word—all of it!)
3. The random letters that won’t seem to form words and the words that can be formed with no place to play remind me of our plans for our own lives. Sometimes I get frustrated with what God hands me (my cross) and I would like to be able to trade it in for another adventure (preferably one I’ve designed) just like I can do in Scrabble if I really hate all my letters, but just like in Scrabble, if I decide I can’t deal with what I’ve been dealt and trade it in, there are consequences. In Scrabble, it’s simply losing a turn, but in our Christian walk, the consequences are much more serious. (See John 8:34-38)
4. Another thing I see that compares to the Scrabble game is the concept of the ones who have are given more and the ones who don’t have much of anything lose what they have…(See Matthew 13:11-13)
5. The last analogy is the saddest one of all. Like the words I could have created, if I only see what my life could have been after it’s too late to effect any change, I will have lost everything that was of value—namely Christ. (See John 8:34)
Well, I could mention other things (like “pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” from Proverbs 16:18), but that’s probably enough deep thinking involving Scrabble for one night. It’s just what happens when all you do for almost three weeks is read and play word games—they sort of get stuck in your head. Regardless, make no mistake—living the Christian life is not easy. If it were, anyone and everyone could and would want to do it. It’s especially hard for us Americans to live as a follower of Christ—we have so much to distract us from the Way. Jesus illustrates this when he says, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:23, NASB). Fortunately for us, He also said four verses later that while it seems impossible for anyone to be saved when all things are considered, God is not limited by that impossibility. So with that idea, let me say that I hope your life is so much more than just a game to play at your whim with the intentions of winning.
1. The random letters dealt in these word games reminds me of the sometimes seemingly random events we are dealt in life. We must make the circumstances work for God’s glory no matter how seemingly impossible the odds seem. The difference is that what God places in our lives, unlike computer-generated Scrabble games, is not random. He has a definite plan for each of us and His followers can be assured that He is ultimately in control no matter what comes our way. (See Jer. 29:11)
2. The rules that can sometimes be frustrating are analogous to living in a way that brings God glory. We all know shortcuts that we could take and there are “easier” ways to do things that circumvent the rules, but in the end, they just aren’t allowed—with good reason! (See…God’s Holy Word—all of it!)
3. The random letters that won’t seem to form words and the words that can be formed with no place to play remind me of our plans for our own lives. Sometimes I get frustrated with what God hands me (my cross) and I would like to be able to trade it in for another adventure (preferably one I’ve designed) just like I can do in Scrabble if I really hate all my letters, but just like in Scrabble, if I decide I can’t deal with what I’ve been dealt and trade it in, there are consequences. In Scrabble, it’s simply losing a turn, but in our Christian walk, the consequences are much more serious. (See John 8:34-38)
4. Another thing I see that compares to the Scrabble game is the concept of the ones who have are given more and the ones who don’t have much of anything lose what they have…(See Matthew 13:11-13)
5. The last analogy is the saddest one of all. Like the words I could have created, if I only see what my life could have been after it’s too late to effect any change, I will have lost everything that was of value—namely Christ. (See John 8:34)
Well, I could mention other things (like “pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” from Proverbs 16:18), but that’s probably enough deep thinking involving Scrabble for one night. It’s just what happens when all you do for almost three weeks is read and play word games—they sort of get stuck in your head. Regardless, make no mistake—living the Christian life is not easy. If it were, anyone and everyone could and would want to do it. It’s especially hard for us Americans to live as a follower of Christ—we have so much to distract us from the Way. Jesus illustrates this when he says, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:23, NASB). Fortunately for us, He also said four verses later that while it seems impossible for anyone to be saved when all things are considered, God is not limited by that impossibility. So with that idea, let me say that I hope your life is so much more than just a game to play at your whim with the intentions of winning.
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