When we play games, they are often just that. In Red Rover, we try to keep our opponents from breaking our line. Hide and Seek does exactly what it says. We search for the hidden player. Freeze Tag? We tag, and they freeze.
Yet, in each of these games, we can find hidden lessons within the fun; lessons of challenge and challenge accepted; of bravery and evaluating our opponent’s weakest point. Or maybe the skill we learn is camouflage or reading the clues; or perhaps the game does no more than teach us to run fast.
Whatever skill we pull from the game, that is a lesson learned. It’s the reason the games are still played today, even with all the video options children have at their disposal.
A favorite party game is Musical Chairs. We move until the music stops, and then we try to grab a seat. The game is fun, it’s comical, and we get satisfaction from the prize we receive as the winner.
Yet, what skills can we pull from this game that we can apply to real life?
Proverbs 22:1 tells us that a good name is better than riches.
Are we willing to trample other people to become the winner? If so, we have broken away from one of God’s most precious tenets. The way we win our riches matters as much as the riches we possess.
Genesis 32:28 assures us our name will no longer be Jacob, because we have prevailed.
People will see us differently when we are successful. Some friends may fall away, and others will knock on our door, a hand open for their share. We must remember that everything we possess comes from the hand of God.
Philippians 1:3 encourages us to say to those around us, “I have not forgotten we are friends.”
Winning without honor is not winning at all. If we gain the prize, but we have run over people in the process, who will stand with us to enjoy our success?
Just as in Musical Chairs, life is a game of possibilities. Sometimes we find a chair easily, and sometimes our days are a struggle, our opportunities seeming to slip from us. It’s when we reach the final round, and God’s prize is within our grasp, that we must remember the reminder we are given in James 1:17:
Every good gift comes from the Father above, and with him, there are no surprises.
Winning is important; but winning fairly and keeping our friends is the only way to come out on top.
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