The Game of Life
When I was younger, two board game choices governed our family entertainment: Monopoly and The Game of Life. Monopoly was that game that turned my family members into ferocious real estate moguls, scampering for property and driving up the price of capital. The bloodthirst was never quenched, so we rarely played. The Game of Life was different. Competitors grappled with the twists and turns of life: partnership, divorce, birth, career changes, illness, family dynamics, and friends. A spinning wheel, mimicking the hands of Fate, determined the trajectory of a player’s life. The game was tumultuous, exciting, and it seemed to last only a few minutes while taking hours to play. The goal of the game was to create a balance sheet of assets and deficits. Due to the unforeseeable nature of the game, most times, players were just thankful to make it to the end.
Over the past few days, I have thought about this game as my family has witnessed the death of two very lovely women. My cousin, Maggie, at age 31, could never grab onto life and realize the gifts she brought to the world. Charles’s grandmother, Marie or, as we all called her, Too Mama, at age 99, laughed until the very last breath, lighting up when her family would come into the room. Fate and her sisters seem relentless and arbitrary in their assignment of sorrow this week.
Christmas is not always a joyful event for many people. Loss of loved ones, family dynamics, career challenges, and illness makes this particular season more difficult for others. The downheartedness can be temporal, lasting a short season or a lifetime. Sadness can be pronounced as others are sharing joy and happiness, making a distinct counterpoint to the low spirits.
Reading the Christmas story in Matthew and Luke this year has been different. Although there are strong moments of hope and joy, there are also defined moments of uncertainty and stress. Roman taxation threatens families; forced immigration heightens the threat of pregnancy; and, all of Bethlehem weeps during a state-sanctioned genocide. The biblical witness can draw us into the thin places of our lives, showing us that the world is filled with excitement, tumult, boredom, agony, and sorrow. Many times this disproportionate appearance of these events seems unfair and unbearable. We are drawn into these moments with the hope of being more empathetic and supportive. We listen and hold a hand when the sorrow seems overwhelming. We can help create a new tradition when lighted trees and boisterous carols are blinding and deafening. We can sleep a few extra hours, resisting the season’s expectation of overproducing and over-consuming. We can resist feelings of guilt and acknowledge our feelings during the season. We can accompany a friend or family member, to the best of our ability, to be a consistent presence in each others’ lives. Christmas, the great birthing of love and life, is unpredictable and unforeseeable. The great birthing only guarantees that the twists and turns of life will be present with us always. Life and living it the best we can at the moment may be the most essential gift.
Brian Crisp, Minister of Missions and Adult Education
