66 in 1 series: Is it a chute or a ladder?

 

I am attempting to read through all 66 books of the Bible this year. Whenever I am challenged or encouraged by a particular word, verse, or passage, I will share it with you. Welcome to my “66 in 1” series…

 

 

Ok y’all-

I played Chutes and Ladders with my darling 3 year old.

I have no idea what I was thinking.

The outside of the box said the game was for ages 3+ ???!!! So I totally thought this would be a good activity for us to engage in.

It wasn’t.

Katie would spin the spinner and move her player piece all over, paying no attention to the numbered squares on the game board. She would move her piece up the chute instead of down it, and down the ladder instead of up it.

Let me tell you, this STRESED. ME. OUT. Katie would not follow the rules I kept trying (and trying and trying and trying) to teach her. Do not worry- I still felt love towards my daughter as I bit off my final fingernail, folded up the game board, and placed it in the box.

 

 

My Bible reading plan has brought me to the book of Leviticus. Can I confess that the pages of Leviticus are white and crisp in my Bible? They look nothing like the smudged, underlined, and crumpled pages of my New Testament.

Yikes.

As much as this book intimidates me, I still desire a fresh word from it. I do not want to become bogged down by its laws about mold, leprosy, menstrual cycles, bloody toes, and bloody earlobes. (Yes, all of these are mentioned in Leviticus… trust me.)

So in the midst of laws that seem a tad strange to my 21st century heart, I am noticing an overarching theme from the pages of Leviticus:

I am to be Holy, for God is Holy. How I act and think matters to God. Countless opportunities to choose sin or holiness present themselves every single day.

 

“You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.”

~ Leviticus 10:10-11 ESV

“For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.”

~Leviticus 11:44a ESV

 

For years, I had no idea if the choices I made would send me down a chute or up a ladder. I sat there spinning the spinner endlessly- my moves across the board game of life taking me nowhere. Ignoring what God was trying to teach me (over and over and over again) led me into seasons of ruin instead of blessing.

After spending the majority of my life apart from God, I can testify that chaos will reign around me and in me if I do not know and obey God’s Word.

I no longer spin the spinner endlessly. I am quicker to ask God about the number of spaces He desires my player piece to move. The only way I decide between the chute or ladder before me is by discerning my next move through the filter of God’s Word.

Thankfully, God is merciful and patient. (Psalm 103:8) He desires all of us to be holy, for He is holy. (See also 1 Peter 1:16)

I am handing the game spinner to you. Are you listening to what God is trying to teach you? What you say and do matters to Him. The next move is up to you. I pray you choose holiness, for the God who loves you is indeed holy.