The Games of Life

In our short time we exist from birth to death, we all have a series of crossroads and detours, choices and consequences that each of us must face. We are all like players in a variety of games as we move through our lives.

We all have a beginning, the moment when we inhaled our first, sweet fragrance of our birth, life began for us. Second by second, minute by minute, day after day and finally year upon year, we take a series of steps. Some bold, others more cautious. We seem to have an inherent reason to move forward, to not linger too long in any one place, and even a few times take a fall backwards.

Much like the board games we've all played, our lives parallel those in so many ways, perhaps none more so than the Game of Life. We are the pink or blue peg in the colored vehicle of our choice. We can choose what clothes we wear, how much to share with others through our words and our meetings, even where we work, go to school, or wear our hair. Our car is our outward body people see when they encounter us.

We all come to the proverbial forks in the road at different times requiring a choice to be made. When we decide our route, sometimes the choice isn't the right one or even one we had hoped for. We face life's challenges, a loss of a job, divorce, substance or physical abuse, and even ultimately in some extreme cases when to end our own game. Sometimes we are rewarded as well.

God becomes our spinner - counting off our steps 1- 10. He provides the direction, but the choice to stay in the game and move, or simply quit is up to us. Not all games have a winner in life, ours is but to journey on and finish. Not just to become a pink peg in a blue car and wonder, is that all there is, in our final moments. We are always hoping our paths will be carefree, fun, and worry-free. If every game became that easy to finish, why would you even want to play it?

Aren't these games suppose to strengthen us, make us better people, more filled with knowledge and wisdom that only staying in the game creates?

Life sometimes for some involves a Monopoly. Their main goal is to start off strong, learn ways to succeed along the way, stay ahead of the pack and ultimately win it all. Yet if you look at the bigger picture, the winner is only happy one. All the others are resentful at what his actions have cost them. Some are jealous it wasn't them. Some wonder why they bothered to play. Sacrifices are made during the game, by the winner, just to stay in it. The happiness for the winner is only temporary however, the people he had to walk over to get where he is, no longer want to be around him. He has nothing to offer anyone except, money or the stuff money can buy. This is where he feels he has to buy his way out or for someone to notice him.

Chances in life happen randomly along the way - some good, some bad; but when you land on the space you have to take the card and deal with the outcome. You don't get to opt out.

Life doesn't offer the opportunity to try it again if it doesn't come out like you want. Sure, you can get another job, move to another house, get married to someone else, but the playing piece remains the same. Once you start your game - there is no starting over at the beginning. What your life is at that point, is the experience you've gained along the way. How you apply it to your life is entirely up to you. Good or bad, we're all playing.

Some play fair, others prefer to cheat, yet ultimately how you finish will determine the type of character you have, what you value in it all, and who you've impacted along the way.

There are NO real cheat codes to help you avoid the pitfalls and failures that WILL come, but taking time to weigh out our decisions carefully before acting on them, may make the road a little less difficult to climb. Sometimes I just don't think that most of us get it, until the end draws closer. We look back with regrets on the opportunities we let slip away. Whether out of fear, indecision or perhaps even someone else telling us to go a different way - what lies ahead at the end and some of the journey along the way remains to be seen and is our walk of faith.

Without faith, we will remain stuck on the same space, losing turn after tun, while everyone else passes us by. Yet we will complain that it's always someone else's fault.

Our game of life is ours, and solely ours to play. How will you choose to see yours finish? With a life filled with regrets, should haves, and what ifs? Or will yours be filled with faith filled adventures everyday, and that you are happy with what you have achieved and the lives of the people you have met along the way?

Remember in the end, all the pieces go back in the box.