“I-De-clare-war!”
There’s something about playing a game where the core of our very selves is spilled out for all to see. As a child, I hated playing games. Whenever I lost, it became a further reflection of what I already believed about myself-I’m a failure. For some, losing becomes a challenge to their self-belief that they are always the best at everything.
I’ve found this to be true in psychotherapy and in plain old parenting-you can learn a lot about a person’s ability to handle conflict, problem solve, express feelings, share, and to persevere, all from how they play a game. Every time my children and I play games, there are lessons taught and lessons learned. My oldest learns how to lose graciously, how to win with sportsmanship, and how to improve from practice. My youngest learns how to take turns, how to take on a new challenge, how to express feelings appropriately, and also how to lose.
The other day as we played the card game, War, my youngest was frustrated by his brother’s success. “That’s not fair! You have all the aces! You always get all the good cards!”
I responded by teaching them that there are no accidents in life; nothing happens by chance. I explained, “There are no accidents. If God wants you to have all aces, then you will. If He wants you to win, you will. The very cards that you get in the game are given to you by God for a reason.”
“Is that true even in car racing? God is in control of who wins?” he asked.
“Yes. Even in car racing. In fact, if you find that you are losing a lot, perhaps there is a lesson God wants you to learn.”
We talked about the opportunities for learning and growing in our faith that can occur even in a game. Even in seemingly unimportant circumstances, like playing a game, God is as work in us, teaching, refining, and molding us. Perhaps if we are struggling with losing, He wants us to learn how to accept losses with grace. Perhaps if we are gloating when we win, He wants us to learn how to love others even through those wins.
Life is full of lessons and opportunities to grow in faith and trust in God. It takes an open heart and open mind to be on alert for those opportunities, both for ourselves and for our children.
For more on playing games:
For my post on making your own game, click here.
An old favorite game that helps get the conversation going: The Ungame - Christian Version
There are tons of educational games out there and I love most of them. But for learning how to take turns, lose, be a good sport, handle anger and frustration, the old classics are great for that. Parker Brothers - Sorry
, Trouble Board Game
, and Uno Card Game
are all perfect games that provide opportunities for those kind of lessons.
I’d love to hear about your teaching moments this week. Please share in the comments below. If you’d like to guest post and share a teaching moment, send me a message to gcfox1 at gmail dot com.
Linking up with:
“Even in seemingly unimportant circumstances, like playing a game, God is as work in us, teaching, refining, and molding us.” Nice. Everything…if our eyes are open and hearts are receptive can be used to grow us!
Praying that will always be the case for my heart! Thanks for visiting!
Amen! I absolutely adore games. all kinds. and don’t mind one bit stopping it all to sit down and play a game. Even if it is Mouse Trap for the 20th time
: )
and I’ve never thought about it before…my frustration for people who aren’t playing attention to know when it’s their turn translates into my pet peeve for people being late…. ha…will have to ponder this.
(and my boy adores Upwords. It’s a great teaching tool for rhyming words!)
You are a much nicer mom than me! I couldn’t stand Mouse Trap and got rid of it while no one was looking:)
Thanks for visiting!
Beautiful encouragement.
Thanks for visiting!
Every time I read your blog, you teach me to look at things in a new way. Eileen already used this quote, but I love it, “Even in seemingly unimportant circumstances, like playing a game, God is as work in us, teaching, refining, and molding us. ” Sometimes I forget that God is in the smallest details. Thanks for always teaching your readers new ways to look at life. You always offer great encouragement!
Thanks so much, Shari! You are sweet. I often forget that He’s in the smallest details. It’s in moments like this with my children where He reminds me:)
I love that you used this opportunity to so vividly express how God is in control of even the most minute details. Great lesson!
Thanks so much! It’s a lesson I need to hear myself as well:) Blessings to you!
I love this….when I taught, part of our math curriculum involved weekly game sessions…by the end of the year, our students were much more adept at learning how to enjoy a game and work through those competition moments with support….just ordered a few basic games for my toddler….and your message about God teaching a lesson is just perfect!! Thanks for being my first linker this morning!!! Blessings, Michy
Thanks, Michy! Life is full of lessons, isn’t it? Blessings to you and yours!
I’ve loved seeing how games bring out my older daughter’s true nature. She’s such a great encourager. If I win, she doesn’t mope - she congratulates me! “You did it, Mom! Great job!”
So sweet! I need to play games with her!
You’ve really thought through all sorts of lessons to teach…some of these would never have crossed my mind. But you’re right on! How children learn to play games has a lot to do with how they handle other aspects of life. Thanks for sharing these great ideas. My children are grown, but I have lots of time to use some of these with my grandchildren. Gail (BibleLoveNotes.com)
Thanks, Gail. I’m too embarassed to admit how many games we own but each one contains a lesson so they are worth all the space they take up:)
I’ve honestly never thought of teaching God’s sovereignty in playing games, but its so true! Even in what we think are silly games, God is teaching us and molding us to be more like Him!
I love Family Game Night! Makes great conversations, too!
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