Have you ever had a board game night with your friends, and the game was about trivia? Ever since 1981, with the publishing of the game Trivial Pursuit, trivia games have become a main staple of parties and game nights in many households. However, the knowledge required to win the game can sometimes be very intimidating. You may feel quite inadequate and helpless trying to come up with the names of conifer trees. Now what if we told you that Jeopardy! and trivia legend Ken Jennings was playing that night, and wanted to be your partner? Well, that would certainly change the way we feel about trivia night, wouldn’t it? His expertise and insight in every category would be invaluable, and the bottom line is that you would be almost guaranteed to capture the win. All of a sudden your inadequacies about trivia would melt away, and you could be free to enjoy the evening with whatever relevant knowledge you possessed. Another example of this would be if Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian of all time, wanted to be team members on the same swim club you were on. The capability and productivity of the entire team would instantly skyrocket, no matter what you contribute, or your value to the organization.
Now let’s take a closer look at our lives. In some ways, our culture treats life as if it were a game, with it’s various marketing techniques and milestones and rewards in which to measure ourselves up against. But let’s face it, life is messy. At times it can be hard, challenging, downright brutal, and it almost never turns out the way we expect or want. Toss in relationships with other people, and life can sometimes be a recipe for disaster. Much like how we feel about trivia, life can sometimes make us feel woefully unequipped to deal with what it has in store for us. And unfortunately, there are many individuals today that have lost hope, and don’t want to play anymore. That being said, what if there was a person who wants to join your team to assist you? This person has vast amounts of knowledge on how to live a joyful and fulfilling life. They are determined to support you, and make sure you flourish in the face of every challenge thrown your way. Your burdens would become much lighter, allowing you to make your life as productive, practical, and valuable as possible. And all of this assistance would come at no cost to you. So does such a person really exist? If so, much like Ken Jennings and Michael Phelps, it would be hard to imagine anybody turning down an offer like this.
Unfortunately, in this culture, that is exactly what we see. For we are not talking about a person, but God. God is omniscient, or all-knowing. As Proverbs 15:3 (CSB) tells us: “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good.” He surveys every possible move on the chess board, and has the ability to tilt the odds in our favor. The key is we have to acknowledge our inadequacies, and apply ourselves to the teachings of the Bible. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB): “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Sometimes our stubbornness and pride gets in our way, preventing us from understanding the predicament we are in, and asking for help. And in a God-omitted culture, many either are unaware of the help God can bring to our lives, or flat out reject it. From the billion dollar self-help industry to the trillion dollar drug industry, culture instead tries to peddle poor imitations to replace God in our lives. However, the trends are short-lived, as they only last until the next innovation comes along, and we fall for it time and again.
So, at this stage, would you like God to be on your team, helping you with everything you could possibly want or need in your life? Or would you rather continue playing the game of life, with all of its pitfalls and hazards, by yourself? Ponder that this week.