As gamesmanship is not something with which I am unfamiliar as my “go to” in any and every relationship I have ever known, it would only be utmost of falsehood to adopt any pretense that some innate piety would, or has prevented me from playing against God. That somehow “I knew better” than to try that on, or with Him, would only open the board again. I don’t want to.
Whether it is merely age wearing down to some weariness or just the fact of being checkmated enough to have finally learned something, is kind of moot to me now. I simply don’t know. Whether I am and have become mature or simply old matters not much at all. Where once I may have sought out maturity as some glistening from of knowing better to be worn with some relish of display…well…every move of that motivation has been too perfectly countered to some certainty of its being a fool’s game.
Don’t trust me on this, simply do the experiment. If knowing better still glistens in your sight as something to be taken to yourself for a wearing, or adorning of your self, I could tell you nothing but being worn out lay ahead. But I also know you would not, and cannot believe me.
You (just as I) have no control nor choice about what glistens to us. And it never glistened at all to me to discover you and I are precisely the same. I set out to be better than you. I have always tried to be better than you.
This joke or clever observation may be too pertinent, and even too revealing; for to say “we get it” makes plain an estate of a commonness we cannot deny. Whether it’s truly funny because it is so true is also moot in the face of any getting it. It’s simply too late for that consideration if indeed, we get it.
Two guys are in the jungle when they see a lion running towards them. Frantically, one of the men starts putting on his running shoes.
Surprised, the other man says ” What are you thinking, you can’t outrun a lion!!!”
” I don’t have to outrun the lion,” said the man, ” I just have to outrun you.”
Do you get it?
But if, while chuckling, I told you something other that either ruined the joke, (like an explanation, which I believe I will) or was, as a four year old might add to or misspeak with a knock knock joke by confusing two of them; well… that in itself might be funny when coming from a four year old. Even funnier perhaps than the original knock knock you had already heard a thousand times.
But were a professional comedian to do it (and you bought tickets) you could be disgruntled. And yes, you are paying something in reading…attention.
Nevertheless…what the fellow didn’t know was that this lion only likes eating faster people.
“There’s no lion like that, that’s not how they hunt” you might say or “what a stupid thing to say, it totally ruins any of the cleverness of the observation”.
Or…what would you say?
Anything?
There’s a lion that doesn’t get tired or seek to intuitively conserve energy by picking off the weakest and slowest…its taste is for the fast and clever.
But being “weak and slow” holds no appeal, no glistening that compels a seeking after.
No, it doesn’t. Until you are in the mouth of that Lion.
“But…wait…there’s no lion like that.”
Of course you have to do the experiment, you have no choice. You may grow old, you may grow weary, you may not. You may not wake in your bed tomorrow to have any time left to do or be either.
But you have some confidence you will…because you think you are different. Maybe even know better. Odds are…or chances are…or statistically speaking “I’ll be here tomorrow”
Oh, you like games, too! You too…play the odds.
See how much the same we are?
In our own thinking we are different?
With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
For You will save the humble people,
But will bring down haughty looks.
Does that need explanation?
This?
It will be as though a man fled from a lion,
And a bear met him!
Or as though he went into the house,
Leaned his hand on the wall,
And a serpent bit him!
Yeah, I thought I was fast enough…even clever enough to play.
I had to do the experiment.
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