Sometimes God changes the board

I am not much of a chess player. Actually, other than knowing how each piece moves on the board, I know nothing about Chess.  Did you see that show Queen’s Gambit?  It is for mature audiences only, and it opened a whole new world about chess for me that I did not know.  The strategy… I am more of a checkers player myself!  Or Monopoly.  The basic level strategy games like Risk. I enjoy analyzing the board and thinking about my next move or two, and having a fun along the way.  Life is a little like that, isn’t it?  

At each point in life we “look at the board” and see where all of the pieces are, and we make the best decisions we can at that moment.  We try and make good decisions, ones based on our values and our faith, and then we wait and see what happens and do it again.  There are times in life when it is our turn, so to speak, and we analyze the board, but just do not see any good moves.  It starts to feel like a check mate, or an inevitable progression to losing your last crowned checker.  On our own, the good way forward is blocked from view.  

There have been a few moments in my life where I have lost patience in such a situation, and have forgotten what our faith holds true.  That God is right there with us, longing for us to pray, worship, breathe deeply, and trust.  We are never without hope- sometimes God changes the board.  Often, God’s plan through all of those challenges we see is better than we can think of.  And often God’s timing is not our own.  

As summer nears its end, school resumes, and the delta variant continues to cause havoc across our nation, I want to remind you to breathe deeply.  I want to remind you that God is right there calling us to faith, prayer, and love of each other.  And when those times come when we cannot see our way forward, know that God can.  

Jesse+