Learn the Game!

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[d] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:31-33

Yesterday I took my family to a baseball game. It's becoming a bit of an annual tradition to go to one game each summer. I'm an unapologetic Yankee fan and we live in Kansas City. I support the Royals because I have no choice.

I go to the games to see the athletic skill, to hopefully see a few home runs and some Sports Center highlight reel plays. My family on the other hand enjoys another part of the experience. They have fun, not watching the game, admiring the fielding, being blown away by the velocity of the pitching nor the power of the hitting. They enjoy what happens between innings and during stoppages in play. They love to do the claps, to get up and dance and to see if Ketchup will defeat Mustard and Relish.

They don't enjoy the game, they enjoy what goes on as bonus features. The reason for this is they really don't understand the game. In the game yesterday Ichiro Suzuki hit a home run and made an amazing catch to end the game. Neither of these things fazed them because they don't know who he is (perennial All-Star and future Hall of famer) and didn't really pay attention to either feat. I guess we get caught up in the bonus stuff when we don't understand the game.

That is like the folk who watch the Superbowl only for the commercials. It's entertainment value isn't based on what the two titans of the gridiron do on the field but what Budweiser, GoDaddy and Monster.com come up with during their 30 seconds and what happens during half time. They don't understand the game so they are wrapped up in the bonus features as if they were the main attraction.

I realize it's like that with us and life. If life were a game, then many of us would be living for and getting excited about the bonus features: the weekend, getting a new car, finding the dress we like in our size, climbing the career ladder, catching the eye of that person we've had our eye on. We live our lives with an almost single-minded pursuit after these things.

Well the one who invented the game and mastered it, Jesus, says that all that stuff is just bonus (it get's added on). He says the real deal is seeking first God's Kingdom. Put His agenda first. Run after that. Chase after things like lifting up humanity, worshiping and serving God and dying daily to ourselves. Keep your eyes on that. Don't miss that in your pursuit of the bonus stuff. In fact take your mind off the bonus stuff....He'll throw it in for free.

I need to teach my kids and wife the game of baseball so that they'll want to sit and watch during the game and get up during the breaks rather than the other way around. Jesus wants to teach us the way to win the game of life...Let Him do it.