When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ~1 Corinthians 13:11
When my husband, Danny, runs across this meme on Facebook, I can't help but laugh, albeit ruefully. It perfectly describes my love/hate relationship I have with the game of backgammon. It has become a ritual for Danny and me to play several rounds every night. One would think with all that practice, that I'd become a better player.
Think again!
I lose more than I win; that's just a fact. Blame the roll of the dice. Blame the wrong choice of a move. Blame the continual luck of the opponent. When it comes to backgammon, it seems, no amount of experience can prepare you to master the game. And as we have seen recently in our country's administration, blaming is the name of the game.
Thank goodness that's not true when it comes to God's Word! We may start out as immature Christians, childlike in our faith, but the more we immerse ourselves in Bible study, prayer and reflection, the stronger and more mature we become. And hopefully, we reach the point where we can confidently and lovingly inspire others to grow in God's knowledge and grace.
Sure, life is full of both losing and winning moments, times of rough seas and times of calm. But when our faith is grounded in the Word and the knowledge of Jesus' love for us, we are more than prepared to survive the hard moments and celebrate the good ones with thanksgiving.
Just have to remind myself of that the next time I lose another round of backgammon.
Amen!
That meme could be adapted to a whole range of human activity. Good post, Martha!
ReplyDeleteYes, it sure could, Glynn! I hadn't looked at it this way.
DeleteLove and blessings!
You know I have to ask; "Was Mr. Danny in the Navy?" :-) I ask because that's where my love of backgammon was born. While I was in the Army, I shared enough time with Navy folks to know that's the most-played game aboard ships. Although computer games may have overtaken it by now. What I love about the game is that it requires some amount of end-game thinking (EGT), much like chess. Of course, it's EGT that gets me through each day here on earth as I realize this life is merely preparation for the end-game; life eternal with our Lord. Like backgammon, keep learning, keep engaging, and keep growing your EGT skills. Before long, you'll master that game and when you do the same with God's word, you'll learn to master-level life too my friend. God's blessings.
ReplyDeleteNo, Danny wasn't in the Navy, J. D. I had no idea that this game was so popular with that branch of the service. I do like your concept of end-game thinking, too. We should never stop learning from and growing in the Lord while we are here on earth in preparation for our final journey home.
DeleteLove and blessings!
She beat me 3-1 last night. I picked up backgammon in 1975 with friends in Ft. Lauderdale. In the 70's in S. Fl, backgammon was really popular with a lot of local tournaments.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did have a winning night last evening, although they are few and far between - lol! Thanks for letting readers know how and when you learned the game, Danny.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Thanks Mr. Danny. Inquiring minds you know. :-) Have a blessed day sir. I may have played in a few of those tournaments back in the 70s, but not in Lauderdale. Too far for me to drive to lose. LOL
DeleteI love to play games! What a blessing to have a husband who shares your passion!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
It is a blessing, indeed, Lulu. I'm so grateful that Danny taught me how to play years ago
DeleteLove and blessings!
I haven't played backgammon for ages.
ReplyDeleteA good lesson though on today's post. Thank you Martha. We so often stumble and fail in our faith and have to start again.
God bless.
Yes, Victor, we are all apt to fail in our faith, missing the mark. Every day is an opportunity to start anew because of God's great love for each of His children.
DeleteLove and blessings!
You are so right about God. By reading and practicing His word, we become a better player in our Christian life. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteWe certainly do become better players in God's kingdom when we focus on His Word, Nells. There is no end to that reward!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I agree with Lulu; you're so blessed to share this ritual with Danny! Truly, I don't think my old mind's equipped to grasp backgammon ... or chess ... or bridge. Better I focus on that which interests me; hence, growing in my faith journey.
ReplyDeleteGrowing in your faith journey is a worthy goal, indeed, Myra. May God bless you in that pursuit!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Your backgammon sounds like cribbage for Joe and me. We used to play and I never won. LOL You are so correct in that our faith stay grounded in Jesus Christ! xo
ReplyDeleteCribbage was a game my mother's family played with regularity, and although my grandmother tried to teach me on the occasions we would visit, I never really caught on. Wish I had, but I'm set with backgammon for now. Sorry you never won, Terri, but believe me, I know that feeling!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Dearest Martha Jane,
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh with the title and your words in the first image!
We're no longer young; indeed.
All of us are transits in life, on our final destination as residents in heaven.
May God help us to steady our walk—for reaching our destination!
Don't laugh but I've never ever played backgammon... Guess that's in the list of things to do next life 😏
Hugs from The Netherlands, still stuck here because I lost the political backgammon—not welcome to come home!
Mariette
Oh, dear, Mariette - still stuck in the Netherlands??? If only you could get to our southern border; you'd be home in a jiffy!
DeleteBackgammon is a fun game, but challenging to learn, that's for sure. Hugs and prayers to you!
Love and blessings!
Isn't that the SAD truth...! 😈
DeleteOh, haha Martha. I can so relate to this. Whatever game we play, I always loose, it's horrible. I am a bad looser. Anyway, thank God that He is patient and kind in everything!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a gracious loser, either, Marja. That's something I need to work on!
DeleteSaw your blog about your book giveaway, but since I've already got my copy, I bowed out. I'm looking forward to reading it!
Love and blessings!
Hope you have a great day my friend. Regine
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
You, too, Regine!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I love playing backgammon. Jo does not. She accuses me of cheating because I will put her in the middle and close off her way to get back onto the board. Yeah, I'm cutthroat. :) But I have always felt it was more the luck of the roll than anything else (although some skill does help). And as you state, there is no end to learning God's Word. Fortunately, that is not left up to a roll of the dice.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, learning and absorbing God's Word does NOT depend on a dice roll, Bill! It sounds like you play just like Danny, that's for sure. No wonder Jo wants to not play you! :) If by God's grace, we ever get to visit in person, I'll have you play Danny - then Jo can see her losing is not her fault - lol!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, that meme is funny. I've only played the game once a long time ago. Your analogy is great, love this thought, "the more we immerse ourselves in Bible study, prayer and reflection, the stronger and more mature we become."
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that statement spoke to you, Karen. There are so many things we can do, or attempt to do, that are not guaranteed to end up successfully, but Bible reading is, thankfully, not one of them!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I don't think I've ever played a game of Backgammon!!! I don't believe we ever had one to play with! Now I am curious and wishing I knew how to play. We haven't played many games in a long while, but we used to play different card games (that hubby would make up, but then again, he also made up the rules and changed them to suit himself sometimes...LOL). We played Scrabble, Dominoes, Monopoly many years ago, but again, I always lost when I played with him...Now I am missing game night...I may have to talk to hubby about that! It would be better than watching murder mysteries on TV! LOL. Loved your analogies and bigger meaning. You wove this together very well. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind compliments here, Pamela! I didn't know how to play backgammon until Danny taught it to me. Like I said, I have a love/hate relationship with the game, but I still enjoy playing it - I never give up hope for a win!
ReplyDeletePlaying games together, I think, is so important to our relationships, even when we lose. I love Scrabble, but Danny isn't keen on it - not a fan of word games. Let me know if you all take up game playing again.
Love and blessings!
I have never played Backgammon. My mom loved Scrabble. She was a really hard person to win she knew so many words. Lots of wonderful memories about that.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the Word of God. It is amazing! We start reading as beginners and mature in the Lord with ever increasing faith, it doesn't matter how many times we read it there is always something new and fresh that God blesses us with.
Cheryl, you are so right about learning something new every time we immerse ourselves in God' Word; that never fails! I used to love playing Scrabble with my kids years ago, but that's not the kind of game Danny enjoys. Backgammon is relatively easy to learn, but so, so difficult to master, if at all. I'm getting used to losing - lol!
DeleteLove and blessings!