God's Coaching #323

God's Coaching #323

There’s one cupcake left. You and your little brother want it. Who gets it? Maybe your mom will decide, or maybe you and your brother will play Rock, Paper, Scissors. It’s a universal game. Everybody plays it. If only world leaders would adopt this game, we could avoid wars. Just kidding. But this game is so simple—it’s genius!

You know how it works. You count to three and put out your hand. A flat hand is paper. A fist means rock. Two fingers are scissors. Paper covers rock. Rock breaks scissors. Scissors cut paper. Simple, right? Wrong. At the Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS) annual world championships, this contest gets serious. Teams come up with strategies, team names, and uniforms—okay, they’re more like costumes. Plus, there are special RPS terminologies. Three rocks in a row are called “The Avalanche.” When scissors, paper, and scissors are played in consecutive order, it’s “Paper Dolls.” Want to know how to win? Guys like to play lots of rock, so play paper on the first throw. Or try to get your opponent not to play rock while you play scissors—if she plays paper, you win; if she plays scissors, it’s a tie.

What’s the Score?

There’s probably more to Rock, Paper, Scissors than you thought, but there’s still a lot of chance involved too. Thankfully, we don’t have to rely on chance to face our battles in life. We can bring them to God. He has promised to fight for us. He has won the ultimate war even when we lose some daily battles.

God reminded his people in 2 Chronicles 20 that he fights for them. When three different armies ganged up on Israel, God said, “Hey, I’ve got this battle taken care of.” So Israel went marching to the battle singing and praising God—and God wiped out their enemies before they even got there. What a great way to face our struggles and problems . . . much better than Rock, Paper, Scissors!

On the Ball

Turn your attention off your problems or people who have hurt you, and praise God instead. Sing, write a poem, or make a list of all the ways he’s helped and cared for you.

Coach’s Comment

He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15