My family grew up with Parker Bothers in our home and like most kids began to learn to love the time we spent around the dinner table with family and friends playing games like Sorry, Probe and of course Monopoly. We didn’t play Monopoly as often because of the time it took to play, but there was no doubt that it was the favorite. I remember as a kid keeping as many small bills as I could and then making a pile out of them to make me look as rich as possible, although I never fooled anyone it was my way of staying competitive.
Today I look back on my childhood with fond memories of those times. As a child I thought and reasoned as a child. I can clearly see now just how naïve I was to have been spoon-feed all the struggle, hurt and pain associated with the quest to conquer and destroy my fellow game players. The game may start out relatively fair, but in no time it quickly chooses to bless one or two and condemn the rest to struggle and fight for survival. It has no mercy on those with the misfortune of several poor rolls of the dice. I’ve turned my back on what I once considered a friend. Parker Brothers is nothing more than a big cruel corporation, inflicting pain and suffering on the innocent.
In my compassion and on mankind I’ve created my own game. It’s fair. It treats every one equally. It doesn’t reward or punish. It is easy to play. Everyone gets the same amount of money to start. Because taking turns is unfair to the person going last, my game lets everyone go together at the same time. Each turn everyone gets the same amount of money. No rolling of the dice or going around the board. Just fun and equal rewards for all! Does this sound fun to you? I didn’t think so.
This is silly. But this is how some think God should run this world. No pain. No suffering. No rewards or consequences. God has blessed us with His ability to know what we need and not what we want. If we lived without struggles, trials or stress how would we grow, learn or mature? How would we know joy if we had not also known sorrow? Can we know satisfaction without first experiencing discontent? I can’t answer all the hard questions about why bad things happen. You’ve heard the analogy, Paul uses about each of us being a part of the body. A friend of ours once suggested that our family must be the knees because we are always getting scraped up. I’ll admit that sometimes it feels as if the dice never roll in our favor, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord, and we will praise Him because he alone is worthy.
James 1:2-4
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything
