If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you’ve probably gathered that I tend to find life lessons in the games we play as children. I’ve been thinking about that, and have had an onslaught of similar lessons come to mind as a result. Some of my favorite games can be applied in one fashion or another to my spiritual understanding of life. Red Light, Green Light, several variations of Tag (regular tag, freeze tag, TV tag, etc.), Hide and Seek, and Follow the Leader, just to name a few. These games have rules that require obedience, discipline, and either a specified leader or a safe haven.

In Red Light, Green Light, you have the person at the front who simply tells everyone else when to move forward and when to stop, with the ultimate goal being the first one to the “light” and winning a turn at being the next leader. Whoever fails to stop when told to stop, or go without permission, is out of the game.

In all variations of tag, one person is “it” and chases the other players around within the defined boundaries in order to “tag” them. The last one to be tagged is the winner, and subsequently, the next person to do the tagging. In tag, there is usually a “home base” where a player is safe from being tagged, as long as they are in contact with the designated spot (a tree, a rock, a patch of dirt, etc.). The variations add more challenges for the person doing the tagging. In Freeze Tag, once you’ve been tagged, you’re considered “frozen” and you have to remain in the exact position you were tagged in until one of the other players being chased can get close enough to you to “unfreeze” you. In TV tag, if you’re able to call out the name of a TV show (that hasn’t already been used during that round) before the chaser can actually tag you, you’re temporarily safe and the chaser must go after another player.

Hide and Seek is pretty self explanatory…everyone hides (within designated parameters), and one person has to find them. Often, the most challenging part of Hide and Seek is keeping quiet while you’re hiding. It’s an easy time to get the giggles at the wrong moment. Follow the Leader requires everyone to follow the person chosen as the “leader” and do literally everything the leader does in the manner they do it.

In each game, you must have the obedience to follow the rules of the game, as the other players depend on you to do so in order to keep the game fair and fun for everyone. You must have the discipline to listen for the guidance of stopping or going, staying quiet when you need to remain undiscovered, standing still if frozen, or thinking clearly on the fly when you’re under pressure of being tagged. You must be humble enough to follow the person serving as the leader, as well as maintaining your humility when called to serve as the leader, the chaser, the seeker, or the light.

For me, one of the most challenging things in life can be related to Red Light, Green Light. Much like Simon Says, the game requires the discipline of paying attention and following the directions you are being given. Over the weekend, I was filled with contemplation over the people in the Bible and their need to follow God’s will. I was thinking about Mary, Joseph, Moses, Abraham, and so many others who were given instructions and guidance by Angels of the Lord. I found myself wondering how anyone could choose to ignore God’s will in those circumstances.

In this day and age, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us. We have the privilege of prayer and close communion with our Heavenly Father. We don’t need angels or burning bushes to come down and give us guidance. We are able to go right to the source and ask for guidance specific to our lives and our situations. Even so, it can be awfully difficult to know what that still, small voice is saying to us. Well, it can be for me, anyway. Though I strive to understand and do the will of God each and every day, I often find myself feeling lost or unsure of what I’m doing. I pray…sometimes all day long…begging for guidance and clarity. Begging for strength and peace.

I know I trust God more than I trust myself, but I’m not sure I truly behave accordingly. I find myself impatient and all too often ruled by my emotions. I am grateful to have gained the ability to know when I am resting in the peace only available through faith and trust in the Lord. I am frustrated by my continued struggle to be patient and allow God to have the control. When something is broken, especially a relationship that is extremely valuable to me, it is difficult for me to let go and stop trying to fix it. It is difficult for me to climb out of the driver’s seat and let the cruise control of God take over. How do I know when I’m doing my part, and when I need to be letting God do his?

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding: In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV