I know, I know. You think that all my postings are either book reviews or complaints about accumulating "stuff". Well, I've managed to combine my two favorite topics by just finishing a fantastic book called, "When The Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box". It's written by John Ortberg and I highly recommend it, especially for the guys out there.
The book starts with a conversation about one of my all time favorite games, Monopoly! When I was a kid I would play Monopoly for hours, sometimes days. My friend Mark Chapman and I would play endless matches. If either one of us had to go home, we would leave the board exactly as it was, and pick up where we left off the next day. We would actually bring the play money and properties home with us for safe keeping. I was always the Canon. (That says a lot, doesn't it? I've aways been a little bit of a loose cannon.) He was always the Race Car. Even as an adult, I loved to play the game. Every time we visited our good friends, Dave and Cheryl Powers in La Quinta, I would eagerly anticipate a game. (No matter how stressful it was on our friendship!).
I've learned to be very good at Monopoly, where accumulating is the name of the game, where money is how you keep score, where the race goes to the swift. But it's only been fairly recently that I've learned the greatest lesson that Monopoly teaches. In the words of James Dobson, who described this lesson from Monopoly in playing with his family many years ago: "Now it all goes back in the box."
"This is our predicament. Over and over again, we lose sight of what is important and what isn't." Epictetus
The rich fool Jesus talked about 2000 years ago would have been a good Monopoly player too. He thought he was the "Master of the Board" and had a very clear set of priorities: 1. Harvest a large amount of crops. 2. Build bigger barns. 3. Achieve financial security. 4. Eat. 5. Drink 6. Be merry. 7. Don't die!
"The object of life, according to Jesus, is breathtakingly simple: Be rich toward God. Don't spend your life playing Master of the Board. It's a sucker's game. You can't beat the house. But you can be rich toward God. Your life, with God's help, can be a source of pleasure to the God of the universe. You can make God smile."
As if I wasn't convicted enough by the book, last month I received another reminder of all of the above, and everything the book has to say about competition and striving. Allstate sent out an email informing us that because of all of the outrage over the AIG bonuses, all award trips that had been earned in 2008 were being cancelled. Never mind that I worked especially hard last year to qualify for Regional Champions in Hawaii. For Christmas I had surprised the girls with the fact that we were going by giving each of them a gift of macademia nuts, pineapple chunks and mango juice to open at the same time and figure it all out.
The funny thing is, I worked all year for a 2 night stay and 2 plane tickets (I would have had to pay the girls way). These trips are part of my compensation package, and I get taxed excessively on them. Was I upset?
"If you want to make me laugh, tell me your plans." A Billboard Signed "God"
After I had the hard conversation with the girls that night I started to calm down and get over it. It's all temporary anyway, and there is so many more important things going on in my life. The problem is that we live in "Ladderville". John Ortberg says, "Once you get on one, it's very hard to get off. We look at people higher on the ladder and we feel discontent. We don't look at people lower on the ladder much. When you are climbing a ladder, you face upwards."
Sometimes I think I have my ladder up against the wrong wall. It's tough for me, based on my upbringing, but I promise to keep working on it. "The problem with spending your life climbing the ladder is that you will go right past Jesus, for he's coming down."
Jon
