Chess Anyone?
Have you ever seen two people engaged in a serious game of Chess?
It’s really intense. It can last for hours, days or …….even longer.
When I think of the game of Chess, I think of all the strategy involved. The foresight necessary to determine moves is the essence of the game.
A bit about the game pieces:
The Pawns represent serfs or laborers.
The Castle represents home or the refuge.
The Knight represents the professional soldier that protects persons of rank.
The Bishop represents the church.
The Queen represents a woman and she is the most powerful piece of the game.
The King is the most defended and important piece of the game.
I think the game of Chess is a good representation of people navigating life.
We are all laborers in one way or another.
We desire safety and security in our homes.
Without soldiers our world would be more dangerous.
We are to be the “church” outside the church building.
Women yield power. One of the ways I believe is of the utmost importance is giving a different perspective and offering sound advice.
Men have a survivors instinct. They conquer, protect and construct.
When all things are in good order a man and woman are able to use their gifts to compliment the other. They bring out the best in one another.
In a relationship it’s a good idea to surround yourselves with people that strive to build-up or compliment. In this way they also will find strength is bestowed upon them in their times of need. Much like the function of the Chess board game pieces in preservation and guardianship.
We all seek perfection to different degrees. I prefer to call it seeking excellence. Perfection is impossible, however perfection is doing our very best we can. It’s impossible to make all the right decisions in every situation. Being there is always room for improvement, we can really enjoy life more. We accomplish goals; both short and long term.
The game of Chess adheres to strict and controlled moves without fault. Each game piece can only do what it is designed to do. Sometimes I think our lives would be better if they were so direct, sound and faultless. But would that really be better for us? Chess is one thing but real life is another. I believe Chess teaches us how to work together in an amazing and goal oriented way.
Both the game of Chess and life are not without sacrifices. Some decisions do not have a 100% great result but it’s the best result. I believe we should develop the passion to think of the other as more important than ourselves. Some think of this as unfair. But is it really? If I am thinking of the other person more than I am thinking of myself and the other person is thinking of me more than of themselves; it’s a win win situation.
How we position people in our lives makes a gigantic outcome in just about any situation. It’s important to be a team and persevere through the rough and tough times and revel in good times. It’s a celebrated event to know the difference!
Working together is a lifelong task if you’re serious about having the best life God is surely offering you. Thinking about what you’re saying and doing at any given time. Strategically plan ahead and let patience be a good friend. Love IS patient. I find it useful to understand this; how I end one thing is how I’m going to begin the next thing.
Part of the joy of a developing a strong relationship is getting to know the other person. People are definitely full of surprises and uniqueness. It would be dry and mundane if we were all the same all the time.
In the game of Chess it’s important to be aware of your enemies tactics. God’s people have enemies too. We must diligently strategize and be aware of their agenda. It’s advantageous to earn about ourselves AND our opponents.
We learn a lot by observing the other. This can be beneficial as well as harmful. In the game of Chess it’s about always winning. Life is filled with immeasurably more than winning every time. However, we can learn a lot about offense and defense from the game of Chess.
When noticing someone is weak in an area, we may find ourselves targeting that spot instead of avoiding it. Better that we should do or saying something positive. It’s possible to get in the habit of planning to push the other’s buttons instead of knuckling down and face what we need to face about ourselves. Take notice of the difference between a strategy and a manipulation. It’s more stressful and takes much longer to build a strong relationship with a wrong interpretation between the two methods.
Our actions and decisions matter significantly. So being that we are all laborers, want to have a sanctioned place called home to rest our head, the ability to go here and there protected and safe, value life and teach others to do the same and be a powerful man and woman to aid the next generation do the following;
Check mate the enemy not the one you love.