Halo

OK, I confess: I like to play video games.

Kind of different for a guy of my advancing age, but I do enjoy them.
I get a real sense of accomplishment when I finish one.

I finished Halo 3 (Christmas gift from my son) tonight.
Great game. Looking forward to Halo Wars in March and Halo 3: Orbital Drop Shock Trooper in November (hopefully).

But that's not my point.

As I played through Halo 3, there were several points that for me were pretty tough to get past. One was where the two Scarab tanks drop in and have to be destroyed while flying in the Hornet (if you don't know what I am talking about that is OK, just bear with me). It took me over 50 times to get past it. Pretty frustrating.

I was reminded of this process of God's work in out lives. We are going along and we make a mistake. I can not progress until the problem is fixed. It might take me failing 50 or 100 or more times until I learn the lesson. If I keep doing the same thing I will keep getting the same results. But if I turn to the Lord for help and rely on Him I can get through the tough spots.

And just like a video game, there are usually more tough spots ahead.

I can quit and put the game aside. But it gnaws at me. I want to finish and I want to finish as strong as I can.
I can give up the Christian life and try to live the way the world wants me to, but the Holy Spirit will keep gnawing at me until I pay attention. And I want to finish as strong as I can.

Most of the popular video games have strategy guides to help find the way. Even with a strategy guide, I still make lots of mistakes and lose my way and run into road blocks. Sometimes I have to call my son for help in getting past the real tough spots.

God has also given us a strategy guide: The Bible. But even more than the Bible he has given us a strategy guide interpreter: the Holy Spirit.

And if I pay attention to both, I have a much better chance of getting past those trouble spots and getting to the end.