Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. My tiny silver Scotty dog token had to leave his place of security and take the walk of shame tearfully passing the “Go” square, unable to collect the $200 needed to keep my real estate business afloat.
NANNY HAD HER OWN SET OF “SHADY” RULES
My oldest son, Darren, began a tradition of playing Monopoly with our family every snowy day and every Christmas Eve. It was a game that his Nanny taught him and my other two children years ago, before she passed away. There were clear cut rules, but Nanny never closely followed them. Nanny her own set of muddied rules. I thought they were valid, such as always putting at least $50 in Free Parking before starting the game and buying houses for properties before having a monopoly on the color set. Nanny was my mom, so I grew up with these “shady” rules not knowing any differently, just like my three children. That was the case until Darren got a hold of the rule book. He was smart enough to read through Nanny’s sugar-coated version of this game called Monopoly.
MY SWEET SCOTTY DOG COULD NEVER LAND ON EVERY COLOR
All of a sudden, my dear, sweet, little Scotty dog could never land on every color to buy all the properties needed to make a monopoly. How would I ever be able to buy houses for my favorite green properties? But Darren’s shiny and swift ship seemed to cruise across the board monopolizing his favorite property colors…magenta…orange…red. My time spent in jail was Darren’s time to collect all four Railroads, buy houses and cash in for hotels. Darren’s money pile filled with bright orange $500s and mine was stacked with pale pink $5s and baby blue $10s.
THE BEST MONOPOLY ON OUR LIVES
Do our lives sometimes mimic the game of Monopoly? Making our own version of the rules, or choosing not to follow them? Selfishly wanting more or living above our means? As Christians, we should be striving for a monopoly, but God’s version, not Hasbro’s. When we give up our control and allow Jesus to be in charge, he gets the monopoly on our lives. Psalm 37:4 states, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” When we turn our lives over to Christ and allow Him to truly be the ruler of our heart, we are the winners. We can live a life without worry because we are loved, forgiven, and have the gift of eternal life.
Who has the monopoly in your life? Is it you, your finances, technology, or maybe your job? Or is it Jesus? Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
THE MOST IMPORTANT CARD OF ALL
While my Scotty dog is patiently waiting in jail as I try to roll doubles, I will commit to placing my faith in Jesus and allow only Him to monopolize my heart. When we choose Jesus to be the ruler of our lives, the Get Out of Jail Free card is permanently replaced with the most important card of all, Eternal Life!