The “game of the year” is happening Sunday. People across America prepare and plan who they will invite to their party, what food they will bring or serve at their home. This Sunday, church attendance is low because everyone is either at the grocery store buying food or preparing the house to have guests. Many people plan way ahead and are so excited to see the new commercials that debut for the first time during the game. Then the anticipation of watching the half-time show builds up until it finally comes and they can see it. Soon the game is over, the party ends, everyone goes home. Those who hosted have to clean up the mess and everyone talks about the game, the winners and losers, the food, and the commercials. Life goes back to normal until the next season starts and culminates in the big game again the following year. This annual event takes probably an entire year to plan. Thousands of people across America plan for it—from the stadium workers to the commercial producers to the cleaning crew—everyone does their part to produce an amazing show.
While all of this anticipation and planning is a lot of fun, and there is nothing wrong with doing it, sometimes we focus too much of our time and energy on the external things. In other words, are we spending the same amount of time, resources, and our energy on the things that really matter –the eternal things? Today, I was meditating on the thought of “The Game of Life.”
Your life – is it a big game too? Do you approach your life like a game? Do you take the time to really plan your life out and take the steps to make it happen? If you don’t take the time to plan your life, who will do it for you? If you don’t plan your life, you will never realize your dreams. You may not be able to do all you want or make all your dreams come true but if you don’t plan at least some of them, you will get to the end of your road and will have a lot of regrets.
Life is not a game. Life is real and everything we do here on earth is preparation for our eternal lives in heaven with God. That’s what I believe as a Christian. Many people live through their lives without ever thinking what they really want to do or be. They let life happen to them. They never figure out their calling and thus never pursue it. Many Christians don’t plan their future with the hope that “Jesus is coming soon.” I think that is unwise. No one knows when Jesus is coming back. Therefore, we should live our lives as if He’s coming today while planning for the future as if we will be here until the end of our earthly lives.
I encourage you today to plan your life out. Take charge of your life. Discover your dreams, plan them, and then do them. Create your plan and give it to God. Trust God with your plans. Let Him change your plans and redirect you if necessary. Let Him guide you.
Just as the big game of football takes a lot of careful planning, preparation, and practice so does our lives. Except we only have one life to live. At the end, it’s game over! There is no next season or the next game. There is no more time to plan it again, prepare, nor to practice… It’s done. At the end of our earthly lives comes eternity. Everything we did here will affect our eternal destiny. So let’s make sure we spend our time here planning, preparing, practicing, and doing the things that really matter—the things of God and His Kingdom.
Enjoy the game and enjoy planning and living your life too!