PRINCIPLE: “Whether up or down, keep feeding.”
Chutes and Ladders has long been a great game. It’s one of those games that hangs on from generation to generation. But playing it can be frustrating because sometimes it takes a long time for someone to make it to the end. The chutes keep getting in the way. My grand-kids grandmother (yes – that would be my wife) was recently heard to say, “There are too many chutes and not enough ladders. It needs fewer chutes and more ladders.” And there was much agreement.
As I thought about her comment later, I realized that what we feel about this simple game is what we feel about life as well. I have frequently felt that in life “There are too many downs and not enough ups. We need fewer downs and more ups.” So often we climb up high only to immediately slide down to a low. We finally get the promotion we’ve prayed for, and the company then downsizes and wipes out our job. We rejoice at a new staff person or employee, only to have another good one leave. We rejoice at the doctor’s good prognosis only to have him reverse it soon after. We celebrate a great victory only to despair at a defeat in the next game. A pastor celebrates a wedding one day and presides over a funeral of a young person the next. A church celebrates the arrival of some wonderful new members, only to discover that some other wonderful, faithful members are moving away. We get excited about a nice raise only to find out that new tax laws or regulations will raise our taxes. The list goes on and on. It certainly would be nice to have fewer downs and more ups.
I sometimes wonder if the Psalmist played Chutes and Ladders. He, too, knew the ups and downs of life; he experienced the highs and lows. Yet his faith did not waver. Why? Because he knew that “…the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Ps. 121:8) In my “revised Curry version” this translates as “the Lord will watch over your rising and falling, your climbing and sliding both now and forevermore.” And what gave the Psalmist this unwavering faith? Ps. 37:3 in the New King James Version provides the answer: “Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” The key is to feed on God’s faithfulness. “Whether up or down, keep feeding.” The prophet Jeremiah, well know for his laments and difficult ministry, grandly proclaimed, “The Lord’s loyal kindness never ceases; his compassions never end.
They are fresh every morning; your faithfulness is abundant! “My portion is the Lord,” I have said to myself, so I will put my hope in him.” “Whether up or down, keep feeding.” God is faithful. Just think for a moment about God’s faithfulness in you life…
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” The key is to feed on God’s faithfulness. “Whether up or down, keep feeding.” The prophet Jeremiah, well know for his laments and difficult ministry, grandly proclaimed, “The Lord’s loyal kindness never ceases; his compassions never end.
They are fresh every morning; your faithfulness is abundant! “My portion is the Lord,” I have said to myself, so I will put my hope in him.” “Whether up or down, keep feeding.” God is faithful. Just think for a moment about God’s faithfulness in you life…
As I’ve meditated on this I’ve been reminded that it’s important to feed on God’s faithfulness at both the top of the ladder as well as at the bottom of the chute. If I over-rejoice in the highs, the slides down will be even more painful. More importantly, remembering God’s faithfulness during the high and good times keeps me from pride (which, the Bible says, goes before the fall!); remembering God’s faithfulness at the bottom of the slides keeps me stable. “Whether up or down, keep feeding.” So enjoy the highs on the ladder tops and stay calm at the slide bottoms because you know that God is faithful. Feed on His faithfulness “…the Lord will watch over your coming and going, your rising and falling, your climbing and sliding both now and forevermore….The Lord’s loyal kindness never ceases; his compassions never end. They are fresh every morning; your faithfulness is abundant! …so I will put my hope in him.” “Whether up or down, keep feeding.”