Chutes and Ladders

James 1:2-3

²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Fourth grade was probably my favorite year in school. I had Mr. Siberski, the coolest teacher EVER! We went on tons of field trips and we played a lot of made up games but what I remember most is recess.

We would run outside as quickly as possible to get a swing. We played kickball and hung from the monkey bars. And then there were other days we lined up to use the slide. One after another we climbed the ladder, got seated at the top and when the way was clear we slid down.

Someone else must have liked the slide because they created the game Chutes and Ladders.

Think about it. Life is a little like Chutes and Ladders. Sometimes you go up and other times you are down. When you play the game, it doesn’t stop when you go down a chute. You keep going. And if you happen to get the tallest ladder it doesn’t mean you’ve won and you can quit.  You have to keep going. You may encounter a Chute after you thought you were going to win but the ups and downs are the point of the game.

God allows us to experience ups and downs too. He does not expect us to stop when we are “up” or quit when we are “down”. Just keep going. He will bring you through it all. God knows where you are, He knows where you are headed and He is not going to let you go. He is with you all the way!