I don't know much about chess. I grew up in a Yahtzee household where the rattling of the dice echoed through the hallways and those who dared to challenge the Yahtzee Master did so knowing that failure to even come close to matching his high scores was certain. The lack of challengers didn't stop the Yahtzee Master though as that red cup and the dice themselves provided the necessary opposition. Chess however, does require a rival and it seems like it's one of those games no one plays lightly. Appealing to the strategist (a term with which I'd never be associated), this game is far more of a marathon than a sprint (yet another reason you won't find me signing up for a tournament any time soon). There is probably even an IQ level circa the genius category that lets a person earn bragging rights for being able to handle the sheer volume of calculating moves in a given game. Well, I didn't move out on September 10th. In fact, I sit here in the room I have called home since coming to California. The third sale was not the charm. Open houses and showings abound as I await the revealing of the next holy step He would have me take. Job interviews have come and gone, falling short in one way or another. I have wanted to leap at housing opportunities, but He has said, "Not yet." All of these suspended logistics make Doubt all the more tempting, alluring me to underestimate His power and coaxing me to question His love. It would be easy for me to choose to believe that my God is playing against me and that this particular move of His is taking forever to execute. (You know that rule where the piece isn't officially placed until you take your finger off it? One could argue that's what escrow feels like.) It would be easy to choose to be stagnant while I wait to see what He's going to do with that pawn. But that is all operating under the premise that my God is against me, when His Word says that He is FOR me (Romans 8:31, Psalm 56:9). We are not pitted against each other, we are on the SAME SIDE; rather, we are playing against the dead version of who I was, the world, and yes, even that Dastardly Thief who thinks pretty highly of Himself. We must be of one mind to defeat the triplets of Doubt, Worry, and Anxiety; and I'm not going to lie, they make some pretty good power plays sometimes. Good thing Perfect Love, Jehovah Jireh, and the Worthy Object of Faith are on my team. Good thing He sees the whole board because I get stuck sometimes looking at one piece, trying to figure out what to do with it. Good thing I know Who wins in the end. Yes, that Day is coming when He says "Checkmate" to our enemy for the latter has nowhere to go, captured like the rat he is. What a Glorious Day that will be! So, though I sometimes wish I had sneaky moves like a Knight, the graceful dance of a Bishop, or the flight of a Rook, I realize that I am not some Game Piece that my God is manipulating. No. Jesus died and rose again so we could be on the same team, so we could have a shared goal of making His Name famous. I choose to bank on His Flawless Genius and His Absolute Power, knowing He Who has the Skills and Ability to win my trust, will crush anything that threatens to thwart His purposes. This Master of All cheers me on to persevere and keeps me from loving Him or others half-heartedly so that time is not wasted. I think he has well earned the title of Team Captain.
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Brittany Van RynWorking out thoughts with HIM. Archives
February 2017
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