November 20

Making Moves


It’s not fanciful for me to think this way about you. My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality.

Philippians 1:7a (The Message)


Well, it finally happened. My 16-year old son Ryan finally beat his dad at chess. Now, I’ve got my excuses, sure. Like when I left the room for five minutes and my 8-year old son Alex made two moves for me! But I can’t complain—he took Ryan’s knight! I could say it was late, and I was a little sloppy, but let’s face it—Ryan is a good chess player.

We’ve been playing a lot over this last month, and I have to confess, he has made great progress. And even though I am extremely competitive, it warmed my heart to see his broad smile when he finally achieved what he wanted most—victory!

Enjoying his progress, watching him work through so many losses, seeing him learn and grow, and realizing his excitement, gives me a sense of my Heavenly Father’s joy for us as we make our moves for Him.

I am proud of my son for winning, but I have greater hopes and dreams for him—the reality of winning the greater contest, the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1).


Father, help Ryan, help each of my children, run this race well! Amen.