Patience
I recently got an iPad and have been playing brain games, solitaire being one. Not having played for many years because of poor hand function my game was rusty to say the least. My stats were something like 5 wins out of 40 games. I knew I was doing something drastically wrong - I hadn’t got the knack, the formula, and missed a million plays but couldn’t put my finger on the crucial component. And being an electronic game it could tell in a nano-second when I was skunked or still swimming, whether I lost or was still in the game.
But what I didn’t know was that the win-loss indicator was dynamic. It bent to my plays. I didn’t know that until one day I got so sick of loosing in the first 30 seconds, I played the hand out to my utmost surprise. The loss indicator withdrew. The game turned around and I even won. I tried it again. Although I lost that one, I saw with new eyes and won the third one. I won a few simply by reading the indicator more accurately and not giving up so easily.
And isn’t that just like God. He responds to our moves. And is patient until we come around in our own time and our own way. The electronic game with its blinking hints and prompts didn’t push me to learn faster than I could but waited until I could catch on. And it was there I discovered the true nature of the game. It wasn’t a stacked deck and poor sportsmanship. I had a say in turning an impossible into a possible beginning with not giving in. Of course there are times when the board beat me fair and square when some key card was trapped, but I began winning more.
Once I understood the game better, things moved smoother. I actually started winning more. Out of 45+ previous attempts.
Hmmmm. Now I wonder if I can get the same results from Scrabble.