Dad and the Chess Lesson

My family has always been into playing games. Games of any kind. My Grandparents used to have a game night where we played a card game called Pitch. I don’t even remember how to play anymore. My brother, sister and I used to play backgammon a lot. We had game nights with the neighbors. And my Mom loved almost any kind of game, especially if it was a card game. I miss that.
And one game I never learned or had a desire to learn, was chess.
That makes the dream I had not long ago seem even stranger. I rarely remember my dreams and some of them are just dreams. They don’t really mean anything. Then there are those that have a meaning and this was one of them.
I had a dream that I was young and my Dad and I were playing chess. Actually, he was trying to teach me how to play. I know how the pieces move, but I know nothing about the strategy of the game.
I remember being discouraged because he won every game. No matter what I did, he was in control of the game. He knew so much more than I did and was always several steps ahead of me. My frustration began to set in and I was ready to give up. The game was not fun anymore. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle.
In the middle of one of our matches, I had to get up to go to the bathroom. When I came back, we continued playing, even though my attention span was fading. I was not only frustrated, but I was mad as well because I felt like I was wasting my time.
And then it happened. I won the match. I got to say “checkmate”! I had no idea that I had won until my Dad pointed it out to me. All at once I had a new hope. My frustration was gone and I had a desire to keep playing.
In my dream, it was revealed to me that while I stepped out, my Dad moved the chess pieces around to make sure I could win. He knew that I was about to give up and rearranged the situation to make sure that I would be able to claim a victory. It didn’t happen like I expected it to, but I was so happy that it did.
That dream gave me a word that I need to give to someone today. I don’t know who you are or what you’re going through right now, but I want to tell you this…Your circumstances and situations in your life right now may be making you feel like you want to give up. To throw in the towel. Because it seems like no matter what you do, you cannot win. All the odds are stacked against you. You are frustrated.
I am here to tell you that during your frustration and sadness, God is moving the pieces around in your favor. He is setting you up for victory, even when you are down in the valley and feel like you’re never going to get out! It may not be exactly how you expected it, but it will be better than you expected.
He sees that you feel like giving up, but God is going to make sure that you see the hope that He is about to make happen right now. He wants you to keep moving forward to the new thing that He has for you. Don’t give up. Forget the past. He is moving the pieces around. He has placed the right people in the right places for you. Don’t doubt this season that God has you in! Your next season is right ahead of you and it is better than you can ever imagine!