My grandkids (age 14, 17, 20 at this writing) have, from the time they were very young, played board games with Mom and Dad. And I mean super-complicated games—the kind where the board takes up the entire dining table and half an hour is needed to assemble all the pieces!
Back when the youngest was about 9, he and I were alone at their house. He brought out a card game. Said, “Let’s play a game, Gran. This is an easy one. Even YOU can understand it.” Ha!
Whenever I visit, I typically just watch when games are played. It’s over my head, though these experienced kids have rarely seemed confused at all—and often beat Mom and Dad!
What I’ve realized through years of watching the complicated games is that the kids have subconsciously been learning to strategize, to stop and think about what “the enemy” might be trying to do. You can see the wheels turning as they’re obviously processing, for example, “No, if I do that, Dad’ll get the edge” or “Wait. I did the wrong thing last round, so to not make that mistake again I’ll…” Even when they were very young, they’d learned to take their time considering the next move.
We all need to assess, strategize, weigh pros/cons, plan. (And it’s never too late to start!) Not only for things like what house to buy or which dentist to choose but also because the REAL enemy is out there. Satan wants us to fail, to make a “stupid” move. He has strategies, “schemes” (Ephesians 6:11), designed to make us to losers.
My grandkids also play some complicated board games in which all the players are on the same team, all against a common enemy. Isn’t that a fun image of how everyone on the Lord’s side (all over the world!) is on the same team against the dark side?
Some Scriptures about winning:
- “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” (Galatians 5:7)
- “Throw off everything that hinders… and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.” (Hebrews 12:1)
- “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24)
- “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
- “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
