Casandra Martin

They are playing Scrabble in the other room. Gathered around a checkered board, they put words together, add up points, call for the dictionary, and laugh. It is a neat picture, and one that captures more than the essence of a game. It is the essence of life.

Scrabble is a game that demands that you take the letters you are given, use the language, vocabulary, and learning that you have poured into your life, and put words together. We are all given letters in life. Pieces that we are supposed to take and make into something meaningful. Not only do we have to come up with words, they have to fit on the board and mesh with everyone else’s words. But here is the opportunity – we can choose the words that we create.

Every day, we get a new set of letters. We can complain about the letters we are given and refuse to play. We can roll our eyes, throw down a three-letter word, and pass our turn. We can plan and plot and then get frustrated when somebody takes our play. Or we can get creative, take inspiration from the words that others have laid down before us, and make the best out of what is in our hand.

The truth is that words have power. Words can build up or tear down. They can give life or cut away at someone’s heart. We can choose the words we put on the board, committing to creating words with our lives that will point others to Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to build words that will last. I am going to fill my mind with God’s words so that they will be there for me to draw on when I look at my letters. I am going to look for the opportunities to seek His face that are built into my hand. I am going to build on what the people around me have already discovered about how to walk with God, letting their letters become part of my life’s words. I can’t wait to see the letters I get today. I know that God is in control of my day. Whatever happens, He will pour out enough grace so that I can find the letters J-E-S-U-S.