As a kid I remember playing marbles. In fact, a boy from a nearby school won the national championship one year. And there were corn-cob fights, sling shot contests, baseball games using “sock balls” Cowboys and Indians and more. But one Christmas, we got a basketball and goal. My dad and older brothers hung it on the tall mimosa tree in the front yard. Then all other games took second place!
Central High School, a country school South of Delhi, was too small to have other sports, so we inhaled basketball all year long! The gym door was always open. “Just turn out the lights if you are the last one to leave;” and, “No one allowed on Sundays until after lunch”! To kids growing up like this, “life seemed to be just one big game right after another”. Then graduation finally arrived! Reality appeared! “Life is more than a game, Crider,” I began to learn!
In some ways though, life does have similarities to many games. In playing games (as in life), we can always say when we didn’t win, “the refs called it wrong” or “it’s only a game”! The Apostle Paul did compare life to “running a race”, but he made many more direct references about “living a God-honoring life.” And that’s no game, my friend! That is serious business with God!
Basketball fans are glued to the playoffs leading to the National Championship in early April. We have our favorite teams to pull for along the way. This year is no exception. We’ve already seen our share of exciting nail-bitters. March Madness seems to put its’ stamp on all of us. But the truth is: it is only a game. Life will go on after the tournament is over. Next year, teams will be going after the same goal—the national crown. But many of us will be at different stations in life. Some will have “passed through the door” into eternity; others will be rocking in their favorite chair in a retirement center; some may be vacationing in Florida or Colorado. The point is: Life is more than a game; it is a joyous preparation for Eternal Living with our Heavenly Father.
There is always a game going on. When football season is over, there is basketball, baseball, soccer, always golf, sometimes tennis, and then the seasons repeat. And some folks “play all their time away” as if this is their only purpose in life. They have not sought out or identified God’s true purpose for themselves. So, they play at work, at church, with their family, with their time and resources. To them, life is always just one big game! But then the aging process takes place, life slows down and becomes somewhat empty for many. The game rules change; our court size and other dimensions get smaller. Team members shift or move on. Physical requirements have to be adjusted – just to stay in life’s game. Life becomes a more difficult game to play. At some point, we all realize that. This is really not a game; it is a war and I want to be on the winning side. What can I do?
We must condition our lives on a foundational belief, according to unchanging Biblical principles. This includes: 1) A saving faith through Jesus Christ; 2) A firm belief system grounded in the Scriptures; 3) Serving in a Bible-teaching church; 4) And surround us with a circle of family and friends to love and affirm us along the way. Haven’t you heard the expression used, “I just don’t see how anyone gets through the hard times in life without the Lord, a church family and close friends”? Well, some struggle through the valleys of life with sour faces, broken spirits and being angry with God. Without hope! But that is not God’s plan. His great desire is to be our Comforter, Helper, Redeemer, Sustainer and Guide. He wants to live in our hearts and direct us along this journey called life. God doesn’t play games with us, and neither should we approach life as a game.
Just as athletes learn “the team comes first”, we must remember – “Life is not about me, but all about God. It is all about Him: Seeking and loving Him, obeying and serving Him.” Serious business, don’t you think? Not a game at all! But we all can win, playing by God’s guidelines. We all can advance to the next “level”. We all can share the Winner’s Crown. This will last a long time after the annual March Madness ends in April. It’s called ‘eternal life’!