Christian Living

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I recently spent part of an evening in a hot game of Parcheesi with my wife and a rather competitive teenage boy. In case your childhood was misspent and you don’t know what Parcheesi is, it’s the “Royal Game of India.” The object of the game is to move your four little pawns around the board and into the Home space. There are, of course, pitfalls along the way. Another player’s pawn can send yours back to home. Another player can set up a “blockade,” which is two pawns on one space, which no one, not even your own pawns, can pass.

As in life, there are at least two ways to play: keep focused on the prize ahead, or constantly watch your back and concentrate on keeping the other players from moving ahead. I chose the first; the life-inexperienced teen tried the latter.

The “blockade” is an effective way to keep others from advancing. The problem is, like I said, your own pawns can not even pass through. This may be an effective way to keep other players from advancing on their paths, but it also holds you up. Think of it: you have not only tied up two of your pawns, but you may be blocking one or two others of yours from advancing. And, as others pile up behind you, they are forced to be that much closer to your pawns. Duh.

Well, now that you’re an expert in Parcheesi strategy, how does this apply to your life strategy? Jesus summed it up well in John 21. He had just said to Peter, “Follow me!” (v. 19). Peter turned around and saw John. “When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’” (vv. 21, 22). One of the implicit messages is, “Don’t turn around and concern yourself with another’s walk. Just follow me.”

Indeed, the author of Hebrews echoes the admonition: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." (12:2). True, we are to follow our spiritual leaders, but only as far as they follow Christ. We are not to look to see if anyone else is catching up to us. As any runner or jockey knows, if you take your eyes off the finish line and look around, you will probably stumble and fall.

The Pharisees had a big problem with that. They thought they were so spiritual, but Jesus revealed their blindness: “(Y)ou shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” (Matthew 23:13, NASV). The Pharisees used their self-righteousness to set up a blockade, not allowing other people or themselves to advance.

It’s too easy for us to look at other people and either judge our progress by them or judge their progress by ours. It’s too easy for us to stop on our spiritual game board and influence others by our behavior to do the same. We can get caught up in a spiritual rivalry with the other teacher or musician or tech or secretary or pastor, and find subtle ways to block his success or send him back home. Slander, gossip, innuendo, even a well-timed wink can plant the seeds of doubt in a person’s mind about the effectiveness or status of a fellow laborer. Jockeying for position or power or prestige forms an effective blockade; however, just as during a rousing Parcheesi game, such tactics often lead to an unproductive standstill, which benefits no one.

By the way, despite the blockades, I won.

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