A Game As An Object Lesson

I met her for breakfast at a neighborhood coffee shop.
She and I have been in Bible study together for over ten years.
I tower over her about an entire foot.
What she doesn’t have in stature, she has in heart.

Our breakfast was three hours long.
Not the eating part, rather the talking part.
I even splurged and got some delicious hot chocolate.
An extra shot of mocha? The barista asked me.

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? She asked.
What kind of milk would you like? She asked as her final question.
Skim milk, I answered, as if that really matters with hot chocolate, and an extra shot of mocha.
As for the dark or milk chocolate, I asked her what she preferred.

Dark chocolate with skim milk and an extra shot of mocha was placed on the counter.
As I stared at the cup, my friend said, Enjoy it; it’s a blustery day out there.
It was a blustery day.
I did enjoy it, immensely.

My friend was a former teacher.
She left the classroom to be home with her two children.
Her children are now in middle school and high school.
She and her husband are very involved in their lives.

She may not be in the classroom, but she has taught her children well.
She is extremely creative, whether it is doing a craft, making a costume, or a sewing project.
She loves her garden; they grow their own food.
Her husband is a skilled hunter, which is another way he provides for his family.

She has a passion for working with youth.
She is a wonderful example and role model for them.
She is very involved in her church’s youth ministry.
She goes to retreats and summer camps, and is faithful to be at youth group every week.

She loves working with the young people and telling them about Jesus.
She loves discipling them, showing up each week and being involved in their lives.
She always comes up with creative ways to teach a lesson.
She enjoys mentoring the young women in her small group.

I had an idea that I ran by the youth pastor, she told me.
She wants to help these young people know how to live Godly lives.
She wants them to know what it is important.
She wants them to seek God first.

It was then she talked about the game.
It is a game we have in our toy closet and have played often.
I never thought about the game the way she described it.
She intended to use the game as a teaching tool.

I told the youth pastor my idea, she said.
I suggested we play the game of Jenga with the youth group.
I want to write words on the blocks before stacking them.
What kind of words? I asked her, intrigued.

I want to write words that describe things on which they rely.
Popularity, money, good grades, friends, sports…
The list went on.
Then, I want to write words on which they should rely.

I waited.
God, the Bible, prayer.
Those things were the most important but I knew she was thinking of more words.
Preaching, worship, discipleship, fellowship…

I got her point.
I thought it was the most creative idea and told her so.
It would be an object lesson so they could see the strength of those things on which they rely.
If their words are scattered throughout the base, can you imagine the impact?

I pictured the scene in my head.
I pictured a young person pulling a block from the tower ever so slowly.
I pictured blocks with friends, popularity, and good grades being pulled from the base.
I pictured blocks with money and sports being pulled as the tower fell.

I want them to see that what they are relying on is sand.
It will not hold them up, she continued.
I want them to see that a foundation of God, the Bible, and prayer are necessary.
I want them to see that they need a solid base on which to build their lives.

I could see their faces as they saw the blocks with their words crumble their foundation.
I could see the Jenga tower come crashing down.
I could see another Jenga tower holding when it was built on a firm foundation.
That firm foundation rested on God alone.

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. (Matthew 7:24-27)

I left our breakfast that morning with a powerful visual in my own mind.
God, the Bible, and prayer are a firm foundation.
If we base our trust on anything else, our lives will be built on shifting sand.
Nothing else will hold.

The tower will crash.

2 responses to “A Game As An Object Lesson”

1. This is a great idea!

   Reply

   • Paula,
     I thought so, too.
     The youth will benefit from this creative idea.
     Gina

     Reply