Imagine that you and I are playing a video game. We start by creating our avatars; choosing our race, class, and specialty. It is at this stage that we learn that choosing facial features and body types are time-consuming tasks. We then create our avatars and the game thrusts us into a vast new world.
Our avatars are now standing beside each other in an open field. The game seems to lack further instructions. You and I check the game’s release notes making sure the game is actually playable. Unfortunately, the release notes are in another language. We use Google Translate. The result is a mix of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.
We turn back to the game and make our avatars wander in the endless field. There is nothing but wheat. No seriously, the world is a never-ending wheat field. What a stupid game.
I’ve heard of walking simulators, but this one fits the definition of pointless. Is this a joke, an unfinished game, or some student’s failed coding project? The answer doesn’t seem to be self-evident.
You and I turn off the game and vow to never “play” this game again. However, curiosity gets the best of us and we start it up again.
This time around, we take interest in the surroundings. The graphics are immaculate and the sound of the wheat blowing in the wind captivates us. Maybe there is a point to this game after all.
As time passes, the weather changes. Storm clouds settle in and we are then welcomed by light rain. The puffy clouds give way to beams of sunlight. “This is calming,” we say to each other.
Days go by and you and I come to find solace in the simplicity of the game. Clear blue skies one day and heavy storms the next. The wheat field is ripe for harvest, but only you and I exist in this world.
We start to draw conclusions about the game. This is a video game. There are two players. There is a seemingly endless wheat field. It has a weather system.
Weeks go by and our minds start to wander. Why is there a wheat field and not a dirt field? Why does the weather change and not just stay the same? And why does the wheat field go on forever?
We come up with all sorts of answers to the questions we pose. However, none of them satisfy our curiosity. The only way to get our questions answered is to ask the games’ creator.
How do we contact the creator of this game? We check the manual once again and find an email address. Finally, we can get some answers!
You and I fire off a long and descriptive email to the stated email address. We wait for days and nothing happens. On the sixth day, we get a response:
“Matthew 13:44”
What a short response.
We quickly go to Google and search for “Matthew 13:44.” We come to find out it is from the Bible:
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
There’s our answer! There must be something hidden in the field!
We turn back to the game and attempt to dig the ground beneath us. And then a few thoughts hit us:
“How deep does this go? Is it infinite as well? How are we to find a treasure in an infinite world?”
I will stop here. I could continue this imaginary scenario, but I fear that I would get lost in the details.
Why did I write this?
Simple: You are guided by what you believe to be true.
Let me explain.
If we view the game as being analogous to life, we can start to draw conclusions. For example, our avatars represent who we are; each avatar is unique. The open field is the world we inhabit.
We are given no instructions but can infer them from our surroundings:
We could have easily never picked up the game for the second time. So, why did we choose to play it again?
Answer: We were guided by our belief about what we believed to be true about the game. We know more about the game because we sought to know more about it.
The same thing can be said about life…
We live in a world of arguably infinite possibilities. How are you and I to determine the best path forward?
It is impossible to go down every path to determine which is the best one. The closest we can get is by observing the outcomes of the lives of people who do choose to go down a certain path.
This is certainly a decent way to go about this problem. However, I offer a better solution.
What if there was an instruction manual for life? Well, one does exist! It is called the Bible.
The Bible has a direct answer to almost every problem we will encounter in life. And other questions not directly answered are answered indirectly through understanding the complete context of the text.
I urge you to not take my word for it but to challenge what I put forth here and find out for yourself.
For me, the Word is my sword. The weapon that enables me to pursue the best path forward in life. It is the foundation on which I build my life on.
All of the major life choices I make are put to the test via the sword. If a choice passes the test, it is a choice that is worth my consideration. If it does not, it is cast away.
So far, I feel as though life seems to make more sense. However, this does not mean to say that I do not have any difficulties or challenges. In fact, I have more. But, I am now well-equipped to handle the chaos that enters my domain.
So once again, I urge you to build your life on a foundation that stands firm through the storms in life:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Matthew 7:24-29.
God bless.