Game Over

Star Wars X-Wing Fighter was my favorite electronic arcade game. But it was expensive. When I had the money I played it during my lunch break at the mall. It helped relieve my stress.

I enjoyed it because it felt like I was flying through space. It was quite a ‘ride’! Plus there was the added excitement of destroying the bad guys!

The best part was the escape it provided due to the total concentration and focus it required. While I was in the game, the world of retail management didn’t exist for a brief moment in time. I could ignore my sales or personnel problems and save the galaxy!

The worst part was when time ran out and the screen glowed with the words “Game Over.” Then it was time to step out of the game module and back into real life.

Part of me wished I could just keep playing the game. But when the game was over I knew I had to go back to work. After all I had a family to support and a mortgage to pay. Life goes on.

What if I had decided that the game was so much fun I would play it until all my money was gone? No doubt you’d call me crazy. And you’d be right.

But is that any crazier than the man or woman who plays the game of life while focusing on winning at any cost?

“Now hold on just a minute,” you say. “Life isn’t just a game.”

No, but in some ways it’s like a game. When time runs out and God says, “Game Over” – what will you have to show for all the time and money you invested?

Another way to phrase it is, “When you die, what will you find on the other side?”

We all know “You can’t take it with you.” But we like to think we can enjoy it for a while until our life ends. However, as the Japan earthquake disaster reminded us, everything we lived and worked for can vanish in a moment. Then what will we have to show for our life?

Jesus constantly encouraged people to look beyond life’s possessions. Especially those who wanted to follow him. He challenged them, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

It was clear to all who heard him that following Jesus meant complete dedication, willing obedience and daily self-denial.

Then Jesus added, “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

What good will it be for you to ‘win’ – to achieve complete success in your life with all its rewards? What good will it be when the words “Game Over” flash on the screen of your life? Then who will get all you’ve collected and saved for yourself?

The stories coming out of Japan remind me of what we heard after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I can’t imagine what it’s like to watch all one has lived for and loved be washed away.

But those who follow Jesus Christ know that this life is not all there is. For the child of God, life is not about keeping score with money and things. It’s about loving God and serving others.

Perhaps Tim McGraw’s song “Live Like You Were Dying” said it best. When he learns it’s almost “Game Over” he said, “I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying…. Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.”

Living in the light of our mortality brings clarity. We can chose to live for Christ knowing that when it’s “Game Over,” we can step out of this life and into the next with confidence.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!