Games

 A Family Affair

Several years ago I went on the road to the Hills of Missouri to pay respects to a precious matriarchal figure in my life. I lived in her home for a summer during my sophomore year in college in Southwestern Wisconsin, as things back home with my mom were strained and a bit tumultuous. Her youngest daughter was a close friend of mine, and the matriarch’s family became my family. The dad became a replacement for my dad who had died 11 years earlier. These people loved games. At the celebration of life, one of her sons even told a funny story of the matriarch’s notorious and well-hidden ability to cheat at cards. My summer in this home showed me how to delight in God. Being unchurched, I attended various religious groups on campus and noted that some Christians lived in religious piety in such a way that it stole their ability to have fun. Their relationship with God seemed dominated by the keeping of religious laws and rules. My college family and the matriarch taught me that Christians can have fun in ways that aren’t too deep spiritually, but still provide delight to both God and I. 

Delight Yourself in God

With this family, I learned to delight in God’s presence, with good people, in the context of just simply having fun. There is a Bible verse for this in Psalms 37 and it says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Did I say they loved games? That home was always abuzz with croquet, jarts (now outlawed!), football, baseball, pool, board games, and cards. With my English degree at the university there, I think I also received a minor in games from this family. Sometimes Christians get all bogged down in our religious rules; often eliminating the delight and fun of games. 

Push Back

I have always pushed back on the rules that try to steal our ability to delight in God. Rules and laws are absolutely necessary for civil order, but in the heart, only two are necessary. In Matthew 22 an attorney of sorts schooled in religious rules or laws is trying to stump Jesus by asking him which law or rule in the Jewish scriptures was the most important. Jesus’ answer for this and similar haranguing confrontations is one I too have adopted. He would tell these often angry proponents of religious do’s and don’ts that there are just two laws to focus on; especially within the context of healthy relationships. So still today, I don’t get bound up with umpteen religious rules, I focus on the big two within the context of doing good in relationships. 

The Big Two

Jesus lived his physical life on earth adhering to two immutable laws—love God and love your neighbor. If you can love God and love others (your neighbor) and do that in the context of having fun and delighting in God’s kingdom while playing some games, then do it! Other religious rules or laws of Jesus’ day didn’t allow healing someone on the Sabbath, but he healed on the Sabbath. When you love someone, you don’t set rules for that relationship, you set boundaries established in love. I don’t steal from my neighbor because of a rule. I stay clear from thievery because number one I love God, I want to please him, and he says don’t steal. And number two it hurts my neighbor who I need to love as myself. 

Love People and Play Games

Playing games has allowed my mind to stay sharp, helps my dystonia-stiffened fingers earn some dexterity, and provides me a platform to delight in God. I have a wooden card holder and a plastic card shuffler, and usually an understanding card player to place cards and deal. God provides! At my game table, I delight in the presence of friends, socializing, trying to do good, relating well to others as best I can, and of course, earning some petty cash by graciously accepting earnings from my opponents 😊.

Next blog, I will dig into the unparalleled American institution behind fun game-playing. It’s called the “kitchen.” Until then, I extol you to keep the big two, delight in God, and be a sport when you lose to me in cards (😊I am of course joking on the competitive thing,  . . . sort of).