I like winning. Most people do, but I like it a lot. It is pretty much the only thing Charlie Sheen and I agree on. I enjoy going to trivia nights, and often my team does well, but we have never won. Why? Because we don't cheat. The truth is, I don't own a smart phone. I don't need one for my job, and I'm too cheap to pay for the service. Don't get me wrong; I love gadgets, but I hate contracts and commitments with monthly fees. I'd like to think that I wouldn't cheat even if I had a smart phone.I know people who let their kids win when playing games with them. My daughter likes to play Candy Land with her Grandma with candy as a prize. It is an elaborate form of preschool gambling that should be hitting Vegas any time now. One day, she asked me to play Candy Land. After I had amassed quite a pile of candy, she informed me that I was "doing it wrong." I tried to explain to her that I must've been doing something right since I had all the candy. She cried. I have a dental appointment next week.
People don't set out on a venture to lose. Most of us don't, anyway. Instead we approach life like a game, and we play to win. From an early age we are taught and trained to reach for the skies and never give up. That is probably why we like Easter. The "bad" guys (not us, Romans and religious leaders) get the good guy (Jesus) and nail Him to a cross, but in the end he comes back and wins. Classic underdog story. On Sunday, we all eat ham and pastel candy to celebrate.
Not quite. Behind the bunnies, eggs, lilies and fancy outfits there is a story of paradox. Set down the Cadbury Creme Egg (I love those things) and take a deeper look at the story. God is not, nor ever will be an "underdog". Jesus had a trial, and He refused to defend Himself. Even if he had Atticus Finch* as a lawyer, the outcome would have been the same. So he let them crucify him, but then, check out Matthew 27:50 if you don't believe me, "he gave up".
Why?
Seems like the opposite of winning. Maybe, winning wasn't the point. Ahhh, this makes my head hurt.
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
*What do you mean who is Atticus Finch? Atticus Finch is the southern lawyer featured in Harper Lee's fictional novel To Kill A Mockingbird. What? No, that's Matlock. Gregory Peck played him in the movie. Riiight, that Atticus Finch.
Seems like the opposite of winning. Maybe, winning wasn't the point. Ahhh, this makes my head hurt.
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
*What do you mean who is Atticus Finch? Atticus Finch is the southern lawyer featured in Harper Lee's fictional novel To Kill A Mockingbird. What? No, that's Matlock. Gregory Peck played him in the movie. Riiight, that Atticus Finch.
My mom never let us win at games, either. I don't know if she was trying to teach us some important life lesson or if she was just that competitive. It's too late to ask her. I do know that it instilled in me a drive to win, to succeed, to do will. I learned that life will not come easily, will not be handed to me. That served me well when my first marriage fell apart, and I had to summon those lessons from childhood about perserverance in the face of adversity. I alse clearly remember the first time I beat my mom at Scrabble, her forte. I felt real pride and accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteOne day, I went over to my mom's to pick up my 5-year-old daughter. They were playing Old Maid. Kayla had the Old Maid in her hand and was thrilled. I explained that she wanted Gram to pick that card, and she promptly told me that if she has the Old Maid she wins. I glared at my mom who shrugged and said, "I'm the grandmother. I can make new rules."
As a parent, I didn't "let" my children win games. If they won, it was because they earned that win. I'll never forget the day my son beat me at Scrabble, my forte. The joy and pride was real and visible. On both our faces.