The Unusual Blessing of Board Games
March 14, 2021 — Laura House
Most kids love to play board games, and our hall closet has always been full of them. Playing a board game as a family creates a great time for bonding, and we played them often. When the kids were little, Gary and I “enjoyed” hours of Candy Land, Trouble, Uno, Memory, Spoons, and Old Maid.
As they grew, the games became more sophisticated like CrossFire, Battleship, Mousetrap, Pit, and Air Hockey. A few years later, the dreaded Monopoly became a favorite, but everyone knew that Mom would only agree to play if we distributed at least half of the properties first, shortening the game. My attention span for game-playing has never been longer than an hour.
We enjoyed other games that encouraged learning like Boggle and Scrabble, but undoubtedly, as they grew older, their favorite games were the competitive ones such as Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Risk, played on their laptops — each of them trying to conquer the world. Strategically planning every move, the kids demonstrated a prowess that I could never match.
Throughout their college years, the games continued, often with a houseful of family friends. Dutch Blitz was a favorite, and the memories of the frantic frenzy around the dining room table still brings a laugh.
The year before Nathan left, he taught us to play Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. My mom, “Grandma Miller,” was visiting us at the time. To be clear, Poker would never have been a game she would have sought to learn, but she was “all in” and the hilarity that ensued delighted us all. Since we couldn’t remember which combinations of cards were valuable, Nathan printed each of us a “cheat sheet” to help us learn. Although I don’t really remember how to play it anymore, I’m so glad to still have the game and those papers with his writing on them.
I recently found several pictures of us playing games and recalled the closeness those times created. Lots of laughter…lots of intimacy.
From the beginning of time, God’s design included close relationships within a family. The privilege of being entrusted with sweet children and developing those relationships brings us such joy! Considering that, it’s only logical that when earthly physical death causes separation, we grieve deeply.
But it’s really just that—separation, a gap in time; not finality.
As you already likely realize, this earthly life is short, and not the final chapter in your life. It’s a time for preparation for the life of eternity you will experience, where there will be no more separation, no more pain, no more sorrow.
I don’t know if we’ll be playing any board games, but I sure am looking forward to all that awaits us in eternity.
I Corinthians 2:9 “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
