Every once in a while, it’s fun to act like a kid again, without care of who is watching.
It was my nephew’s birthday last weekend, and my sister invited us to go to Urban Air with them to celebrate. My daughter and I met them there with a few of their friends. My sister had pre-purchased an armband for both of us, which gave us access to everything. Rock climbing, ziplining, trampoline jumping, foam pits and more.
One of our favorite activities was laser tag. In our family, any game is equal opportunity play. Meaning, we are competitive.
We let the kids lose.
It’s good for them.
During the first two rounds, my sister and I were on separate teams. We were strategic in our moves, and our tactical training kicked in. Covering. Sneaking. Attacking. It was crazy how my adrenaline was pumping! Even though I knew it was just a game, we were very purposeful in both hiding from the ‘enemy’ and in taking them down. As it turns out, I’m pretty good at it.
High scores for me.
Take that, kids!
However, in game three, I realized that my equipment wasn’t working properly. It still lit up, but I couldn’t get tagged out. I also couldn’t earn any points by tagging the opposing team out. I knew it, but nobody else did. Having nothing to fear, I started walking out in the open. The other team would take aim at me, but could never take me down, and they couldn’t figure out why. I earned no points, but still helped my team because the enemy was running away.
It was eye-opening how it completely changed how I played the game when I knew I was safe. The enemy still surrounded me, but there was no fear because I knew how it would end. I could just enjoy acting like a kid.
It made me think of our ‘game’ of life. Just like in laser tag, we have a limited amount of time here on earth. But how we play the game is completely up to us, and it can make a huge difference in how we feel when it’s our time for it to be ‘game over.’
If we spend our time thinking this short life is all we get, we might live like I played those first two rounds. It would still be fun. We can earn lots of points, get the top standings and still help our team. But we might also be fearful that one wrong move might cost our lives.
Then… that’s it.
However, game three was like having faith in Jesus. The enemy will still surround us. He’ll sneak and attack, but he can’t take us down. We can walk in the open and don’t have to be afraid. Nobody wants to die, but when you know you have heaven to gain, death is not the worst thing.
I earned zero points in game three, but still helped my team by chasing the enemy away. I’m a firm believer that we can do that with prayer. And points don’t matter. Jesus has already pre-purchased our armband, so to speak. He shed his blood on the cross to pay for our sins. If we put our faith in Him, we will have free access to eternal life in heaven.
Take that, Satan!
Our time on earth will eventually end, but it’s not ‘game over’ if you know where you will spend eternity. If you accept Jesus as your savior, you don’t have to be afraid because you know how it will end. Simply enjoy the freedom of living like a child of God without care of who is watching.
Have a blessed week, friends!