They changed the rules to the game of Life!

 Today, we had a snow day!

You might not believe this, but teachers look forward to snow days just as much as students do.  And, as a mom, I love being confined to home with my kids because I love spending time with them.  But, the lesson in this blog is not about the importance of spending time with family.

My boys asked if I would play The Game of Life.

This is one of my least favorite games we own.  I don't like it for many reasons, but mainly because the purpose of the Hasbro game is to become richer than anybody else and that is NOT the purpose of Life. But, the meaning of Life is not the lesson of this blog.

The paper copy of the rules to our board game was lost many years ago.  Since I usually find some excuse to not play this game, my oldest has been establishing the rules as best she can remember for a long time.  I like rules, real rules, so I took my trusty iPad and Googled the rules to The Game of Life by Hasbro.  But, this blog is not a lesson in how to use your resources and your technology to problem solve.

Much to my dismay, the rules found on the Hasbro website don't even match the materials provided in my 2007 version.  They had rules about Automobile and Homeowner Insurance Policies and were missing rules about Spin to Win.

How did the rules to Life change so quickly?

How can you even play the game if you don't know the rules?  This got me thinking about a conversation I had recently with a teenage student of mine.  We were having a difference of opinion about whether telling someone to "shut up" was an okay thing to do.  This young person said to me that she had heard people tell each other to shut up so many times that she honestly did not think it was wrong.

Ugh!  It felt like I was punched in the gut.  How did the rules of what is acceptable to say get changed? How can such unkind words be so commonplace?  No wonder we are so confused living in a society where the rules are constantly changing!  And then I thought about it and I realized something important.

Here's the lesson.  I hope you get it.

The rules have not changed.

Your big sister cannot make up new rules.  A company cannot change the rules.  You cannot decide what the rules are because of what everyone else around you is doing.  Even the government cannot redefine the rules. The reason for this is quite simple.

God made the rules.

You will be held accountable to His rules and standards.  The good news is He is the same yesterday, today and forever.


So, my friends, this life is a lot less confusing if you know the authentic rules.
The resource you need is the Bible.
You'll find all you need to know to participate in the real game of life.  Use your technology; there is an app for that.  Spend some time with your family discussing God's ways.  As an added bonus, you may even discover the purpose of life.

Ready to get started?

Do you want to know about the words "shut up"?  Check out Ephesians 4:29
Do you want to know about how to act towards your parents?  Check out Exodus 20:12
Do you want to know the secret to a long life?  Check out Exodus 20:12
Do you want to know what to look for in a friend?  Check out Proverbs 13:20
Do you want to know what not to look for in a friend?  Check out Proverbs 22:24-25
Do you want to know what God has to say about sex?  Check out Hebrews 13:4

It is all in there.  If you have a question and can't find the answer in the Bible yourself, ask someone to help you.  Ask me.  You should know the truth of who God is and how he has provided directions for living this game of life.