Hidden Secrets of the God Game

     I have played a few video games in my life.  I liked the "dinosaur" games (the ones created in my youth and not the ones containing prehistoric creatures) more than I like the ones that are on the market today; they were simpler.  There was a joystick with only one or two buttons which usually shot a duck or launched a guided missile in the general direction of what I was aiming at on the screen.  As the controllers have evolved, however, there are more knobs and buttons than I have fingers.  And there are more functions that they perform, independently or in some sort of combination, than I have brain cells.  So, I don't play as much, because I don't want my games to be work.  I did try to keep up for awhile, and before I gave up in total "exasperationexaustion" (my word--if you use it, please send me money) I learned that the games themselves are more complex than the controller.

     It turns out that you don't see the whole game.  There are hidden things.  Secrets and surprises that linger in some other-gaming-world-level, that are lurking and waiting to be found.  First off, let me complain: I do not think that the games I purchase should let things lurk or hide from me.  They have my cash, so I should be given easy access to the secrets and surprises I have already paid for.  Okay, I got that off of my chest.

     Anyway, it turns out that games have manuals.  They are like textbooks.  They tell you things you should look for, how you can get to those things, and how you actually go about possessing them.  Do you know there are chatrooms and websites devoted to all of the little wonders that can be discovered in certain games?  And people spend days just trying to digest all of the little tips that will help them get those treasures.  Usually they are looking for treasures that will give them power and energy.

     I often think about the initial search for God--the one where you think He might be out there somewhere, and the one that you would like to find and get to know about in order to feel His power and energy (or love), and how confusing it seems at first.  I admit, if He were a video game, I would have quit Him; but finding His treasure is a great deal more important than jumping on a mushroom.

     Here's the thing--He has a tech manual that we can read that gives us a great deal of help.  There are also alot of people who have spent time studying the manual and have learned enough to share some tips in books or maybe on MP3.  Did you know that there are also websites on your computer where you might also get a few tips?  And there are chatrooms where friends and family (or even strangers) might be able to give you some pointers.  And, if you are really desperate, you might talk to someone in person.

     I also happen to know that God is always willing to enter into a personal chatroom with just you.  Amazing, but true.

     The question then is this: How badly do I want to discover God's wonderful secrets and surprises?  If you make it important, God guarantees that it will be worth your while.