Playground Lesson 2: Tether Ball - Getting the "Spin"

o   Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Do you remember the game of tether ball? Two kids stand inside a circle with a tall pole at the center. A ball is tethered to the top of the pole with a sturdy cord. One player hits the ball in the assigned direction so that the cord wraps entirely around the pole. At the same time, the other player tries to gain control of the ball and hit it so the cord wraps in the opposite direction.

Here are a few facts about tether ball.

• ·      The shorter player is always at a disadvantage.
• ·      If you don’t concentrate, you are likely to get hit in the head.
• ·      Once the ball starts spinning around the pole, it is nearly impossible for the opponent to stop it.

In some ways, life is much like a game of tether ball. Our opponent is the uglier side of ourselves that we know needs to change, but we just never seem to get victory. This opponent might be a bad temper, laziness, a tendency to procrastinate – things we know are not good, but are still considered somewhat “normal”. The enemy might be something more obviously problematic – addictions, compulsions, alcoholism, pornography, etc.

Whether that opponent is big and bad or a bit smaller, those “tether ball facts” still apply.

• ·         The shorter player is always at a disadvantage. When our relationship with God is underdeveloped, neglected and starving, we will find that we are “smaller” than our opponent. When we talk about the growth of our souls, we have a choice of whether or not to remain spiritual runts.

In Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul stresses the importance of unity with other believers. Unity in heart. Unity in service. When we operate consistently in that kind of unity, we will grow. We will become mature. We will become strong.

• ·         If you don’t concentrate, you are likely to get hit in the head. Even Mr. Tether Ball Champ can get distracted by a cute girl passing by and find himself getting to know that ball very up close and personal.

So it is with us. Peter warns us in1 Peter 5:8 to be sober and vigilant because our enemy is actively stalking us, seeking to destroy us. (Julie’s paraphrase) We need to focus so that we don’t get smacked in the face by something that we normally could handle.

• ·         Once the ball starts spinning around the pole, it is nearly impossible for the opponent to stop it. One of the players gives the ball a good solid punch that gets past the other player. The ball spins around the pole, going faster and faster as the cord gets shorter. Once that spin starts, more often than not, the game is over.

How is that like life? We probably all know that there are certain warning signs unique to each of us that signal imminent defeat in whatever area of struggle we may have. We know that if we ignore those warnings, we will arrive at a “point of no return”, and it is an absolute certainty that we will fail.

o   This principle applies to a teenage couple out alone on a date.

o   It applies to the exhausted young mother whose temper threatens to explode the next time her toddler screams.

o   It applies to the husband and wife who have allowed unresolved conflict and unforgiveness to build walls between them.

o   It applies to you … and me.

Paul urges us in Ephesians 4: 27 to give our enemy no foothold. We know what  things Satan uses to gain a foothold in our lives. If we allow him to do so, it is like allowing our tether ball opponent to get that first solid hit past us starting the “spin” that ensures defeat.

Let’s learn well these lessons from the game of tether ball.

• ·         Seek to live in unity with other believers so that we will grow up in Jesus. The more mature we are in Him, the harder we will be to defeat.
• ·         Be vigilant and focused, not allowing ourselves to be distracted by trivial things.
• ·         Don’t allow the enemy to gain a foothold in any area of our lives.

Of course, doing these things in our own strength is impossible, but when we do it in the unlimited power of God working through us, WE can get the “spin” on our opponent and win the game.

Playground Lesson 1: Ritchie's Rules for Foursquare

Foursquare court

A favorite playground game when I was a kid was foursquare. Two-square was also an option, but foursquare was much more fun. At Adams Elementary School, for at least the last several years I was there, Mr. Ritchie was the principal as well as one of the sixth grade teachers. 

Mr. Ritchie would sometimes join the kids on the playground for a game of foursquare. He had a certain set of rules for the game, and they became the standard for us whenever we played.They were referred to simply as "Ritchie's Rules".

A group of kids would gather for the game, and someone would announce that we were playing by “Ritchie’s Rules”. As soon as that was agreed upon, there was no more need for explanation. Everyone knew what was involved in “Ritchie’s Rules”. Everyone started with the same understanding of how the game was played.

Most parents know that children feel much more secure when they know the “rules” that apply for their lives. This is allowed. This isn’t. There is a boundary here that you must not cross. This is how we talk to each other. This is how we treat each other.

As adults, we also function much better when we know what is expected. I’m not talking about a legalistic set of do’s and don’ts. I’m talking about a general understanding of how we will treat others … how we will interact with them, even when things are difficult.

Jesus gave us some guidance on this. He took the long list of do’s and don’ts that people of His day were expected to obey and summarized them in two great commandments.

“ ’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind’  This is the greatest and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

(Matthew 22:38-40 NASB)

I discussed these two commandments in an earlier post, but they are worth mentioning again.  Let’s call them “Jesus’ Rules”. This is not a long list. There is not a lot to remember. That does not mean, though, that they are easy to obey.

Is it easy to love God with ALL our heart, soul, and mind? Not when there are so many things competing for our attention … for our love. If we are going to play by Jesus’ Rules, this commandment is more important than any other.

This means that our love for God comes first. 

• We give priority to Him. 
• We intentionally take time to be with Him. 
• The things He challenges us to do takes precedence over anything else that we might want to do. 
• What God wants takes precedence over what our loved ones want. 

That is not easy at all, but we can trust Him to lead us in the right way. When we love God above all, that “rule” directs everything else.

The second commandment is also not easy. We are to love others as we love ourselves. If we were “playing by our own rules”, we might arrange everything so that it all turns out in our favor. We would try to work things out so that our lives are more comfortable, easier, and not inconvenienced by the knotty problems of others.

If we choose to live by Jesus’ Rules, we will consider how we can extend love to others, and care for them as Jesus cared for us. We will remember that we sometimes have problems, too, and need someone to help, advise, or even just listen as we cry.

At Adams Elementary School, Ritchie’s Rules governed how we played foursquare. When we all played by the same rules, the game was usually played without confusion.

When we play by Jesus’ Rules, our lives will be much more clear. Relationships will grow strong and healthy. Clarity, not confusion, will be the normal way of life. This is not saying that playing by Jesus’ Rules will make life easy … but Jesus’ Rules will make life much more simple.

So … whose rules are you playing by?