God and You. Winning The Game of Life?

This hub first published 12/09/2012.

Do you feel like you are losing ground in this world? Do you feel at times you are losing at the game of life? Have you asked yourself what is going on in this world around me? Do you know the rules of life? Are there rules? Are you living by them or living by any rules?

These are questions we ask ourselves. They are very important questions we must consider during our lives. The most important question we must ask is how do I know I am winning the game of life.

I write this article because I have found and observed in my life over the past many years that in this world that we live in we find ourselves battling or participating in the games of life on an everyday basis. The games of life or in life for that matter that we find ourselves are many and numerous. They seep in to our lives over time on and at many levels both knowingly and unknowingly. We are aware of some but many just take root without us evening knowing it until they begin to affect us. By now you might be wondering what I mean when I say the games of life.

We are talking about the rules of the many games we play to survive in the many environments we find ourselves on a daily or regular basis. It is the constant adjustments or changes we make to stay on course and to counter act what we observe is taking place in our families, at our place of work, from our government leaders, in the daily business world, from our friends, from many religious leaders in this world, and in many other situations. It is often called office politics in the work environment. It is also the adjustments you make to keep relationships. It is the policies of governments that you know are wrong and failing this world and are failing you but forcing you to be a part of their world at least to some degree. It is many things but you do many of these things to please others, maintain peace, to be a team member, to keep your job, and so on.

I hope the above gives you a little understanding of what I mean by the games of life that we encounter on a daily life. I am not suggesting that any of these things are wrong, just that we can become more involved in these things to the point that we may lose focus on what is the most important game in life. At some point or level each of us makes rules and observations for ourselves so that we can survive or deal with the many different people, views, rules, opinions, laws, and policies that we must comply with or that we perceive is important to us. In the games of life it seems the rules are always changing or you can’t keep them straight. It is hard to win when rules are always changing. If you are feeling the pressures of life it is because often it seems everyone wants to control you and make you into something they want you to be. The poet E. E. Cummings is quoted as saying “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day to make you everyone else means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight and never stop fighting.”

This is what we as flesh and blood Christians are confronted with everyday. If your playing on an uneven playing field it is difficult to win when the rules are ever changing and dictated by others whose intentions are unclear. It is a game you and those around you have to play to survive. While this is the world around us in which we live there is a game where the rules are clear and the rewards lifesaving. This is a game or gift of life which you win. Are you willing to accept this gift and play in this game where you win? It is the only game with a playing field that is worth playing on and participating in. It is the only one I found in my life that I know when playing I was winning. When you play by the rules of this game you will find yourself winning the games played in your everyday life. The rule book is in writing and never changes. It comes with a guarantee.

If you are in doubt what this game is let me explain it now. It is God’s plan for your life. This plan is laid out in your Bible which is the rule book for your life. The change for you begins when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and his blood sacrifice on the cross for your sins. In this game the playing field is even. God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ teaches you how to deal with daily life and its many aspects. For me and many others the more I make choices for God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ the less I am concerned with the games of life described above and which surround us. I have learned over a long period of time to see the net result of when I am focused on God and when I am just trying to survive in this human world with the many different games being played. Under close scrutiny and focus I can where the hand of God has carried me and made my life easier and have opened my heart and drawn me closer to him. I urge the reader to try to learn and conform to God’s plan for their life by praying for guidance in their daily life and following God’s direction. The more I learn and live by the lessons of the Bible you find that you do not have to develop different ways to react to different games being played around you. After awhile you will look back and see that God and Jesus Christ have changed your life because you have learned to follow his word and direction. You will see his hand in your life and come to realize he has provided for your life more than you ever did on your own. It is the only game where I knew what the score was and I had no competition to complete against other than yourself as God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). The promises or gifts of the bible can be yours just as easily as anyone else. While change will not happen overnight and there will still be difficult times when you will have to rely on your faith, it is the only playing field where the outcome is assured if you choose to play. You will soon be making choices without even thinking about it. As many as your brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ can testify too, your life will become more peaceful and rewarding.

During these coming holy days, or at any time, examine yourself and commit yourself to focus on the promises of God and Jesus Christ and play in a game which has more rewards than the games of everyday life. You do not want to look back and realize you spent more time engaged in life’s distractions than the plan for your life. If you choose God and Jesus Christ more in your daily decisions, continue to grow in faith and put on the armor of God (Ephesians 10:13) you are assured victory in the only game of life that counts. While day to day life is difficult it is important to find a way to move forward everyday.

(c) Copyrighted 2010 - Ronald C. Bachner - All rights reserved.