Have you ever played “Chutes and Ladders?” It was one of my favorite games growing up
and I’ve played it many, many times with my kids. Reading today’s passage, I began to think of
life like a game of Chutes and Ladders.
We’re all trying to make it to the top without tumbling down too many
times.
It’s thrilling to land on the square where you help a cat
out of the tree and get to race to the top, but nothing can be more frustrating
than landing on the one where you’re trying to sneak a cookie, then find yourself chuting
all the way down to the broken jar. ☹ The pictures on the board are based on cause and
effect and consequences – both good and bad.
If you do this, then this will happen. If I follow the way of the Lord,
then I’ll go “up” to heaven, right? If I
don’t accept Him and his promises, then heaven will be out of my grasp.
During a game, the spinner can be either your best friend or your enemy. We may find ourselves yelling,
“Yes! That’s the number I needed!” or
“No, that's so unfair!” How many times have we been climbing the ladder
of life when the enemy tries to knock us down?
That’s when we call out, “Teach me your way, Lord.” With Christ as our compass, the direction is
clear.
And then you have the waiting. For a young child, the agony of waiting can seem too much and being sent down a chute
makes you feel like you might never make it, but verse 14 says Wait
for the Lord. It actually says it twice, wait for the Lord. Waiting can be tough at any age,
but if we learn to wait with patience, then winning will be so much sweeter.
Father, Lead me in a straight
path and give me the patience to be strong when life sends me spiraling. With you, I know I can make it to the top and
see your goodness fulfilled. Amen.
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