Life is like a game of Rummy. Stay with me while I unpack what God showed me this morning....
Last night was New Year’s Eve. My husband, my son, and I played cards for several hours. It’s our way of bringing in the new year. We went to bed late. But God woke me up early this morning, telling me things I’d never noticed before (because He always uses the simple, everyday things to teach me stuff). I hope I can share it with you the way he showed it to me....
First, it doesn’t matter who you play with or how many people are in the game, you always follow the same rules. But, as you grow, the rules evolve, become more intricate you might say. The game I played when I was younger was very basic. As I’ve gotten older and played with others who have been playing a while, extra tips and skills have been learned.
Which leads into the next thing, and honestly I’m gonna have to do some studying on this one - What do you do when a player makes a questionable move, and nobody can say definite if he’s wrong or right, and the player himself isn’t sure if that’s the way it’s played? We decided we needed a Rule Book so we could check it. But everybody plays a little different, so there are probably hundreds of rules that weren’t in the original game. When/how do we know we’ve got the most accurate guidelines? I’m sure we’ll know, and we’ll feel enlightened and know in our spirit that it’s right.
Here’s another thing I go back and forth on - Do you see how each game is a little shorter than the one before? We each had a turn at winning. The last game was the tie breaker, and ended up being the quickest game we played all night. Why? Was it because me and Dylan got sloppy and made mistakes and ended up giving away a victory? Or was it because we all had gotten so good that we played better, made better moves, and moved toward the goal with more intention? Something else I’m gonna to have to study on.
We played four games last night. They are all filled with huge gains, huge losses, small ups and downs, setbacks and comebacks. Isn’t that how life is? We go through mountains and valleys, ups and downs, wins and losses. Some hands were over in just a few rounds; others seemed to take forever. Several times we thought we might run out of cards, but it kept going. When we reach the end, we’ll see it played out as it should have. And, if we did it with the right attitude, we might actually have enjoyed it all.
One last thing I noticed (and I’ve heard it said many times) - it doesn’t matter how you start; it only matters how you finish. It doesn’t matter if you start with a great hand or if you start with nothing and have to build it up. Either way you learn as you play; if you don’t play, you don’t get better; and quitting in the middle isn’t a good idea. You can’t win if you don’t play. You could be dealt great cards, but you’ve still got to make the right choices. Some of my greatest plays were made with a hand I didn’t think had a chance.
I’ve been playing a long time. I like to think I have more skills now than I did when I first started. I’ve watched others play, took advice from experienced players. I’ve learned what not to do by making the wrong moves and suffering the consequences.
It’s just a game of Rummy. But it’s also a game of Life. If you start playing and learning early, the better you’ll be when you get to play at the “big table.” You’ll enjoy it more because you kept building your hand and didn’t give up. And, if you’re saved and have accepted Jesus as your ultimate teacher, you will always have the winning hand.
