Chutes and Ladders
CHUTES AND LADDERS
In our Wade
family game closet is a game that our children enjoyed playing called Chutes
and Ladders. It was introduced in the USA in 1943 by Milton Bradley. It’s a simple
game of 100 squares. Players spin a spinner or roll the dice to determine how
many spaces to move. If you land at the bottom of a ladder, you are allowed to
climb to its top. If you however land at the top of a slide, you quickly slide
to the bottom of the slide. The winner is the player who manages to navigate
the playing board, ascending to the top and landing exactly on space 100. Don’t
expect to win the game without experiencing a few ladders of success and more
than a few slides of failure.
Did you know
that the concept of this game dates back to India in the 2nd century
B.C.? It helped children learn counting
and number recognition and was also used to impart lessons in morality. Its original
name was “snakes and ladders.” Snakes
were allegories for various vices and landing on a snake’s head would cause a player
to slide down the board from the top to the bottom of a snake. Conversely,
ladders represented virtuous activities and players who landed at the base of a
ladder quickened their ascension by climbing the ladder to bypass a number of
squares. (internet search toytales.ca Todd Coupee Dec. 2, 2019)
Does your life
ever feel like a game of Chutes and Ladders with difficult ladders to climb and
a quick slide down when we make a poor choice? Of course, our life’s ups and
downs aren’t based on the spin of a wheel or the roll of the dice, rather,
often from good or bad choices we make. But even when doing our best to make
good choices, at times our ups and downs are beyond our control. Weather, political
policies, the choices of others or even world events can all contribute to our success or failure. In the
game we call Life, the best way to succeed is to choose wisely, (making as few
poor decisions as possible). Being prepared with food & financial savings
(as best you can) to help protect from conditions beyond your control, and most
importantly, keeping yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually
strong so when life’s slides happen, regardless of it’s cause, you have the
ability to start over, keep climbing, making good choices and winning the game.
The best part about the game of Life is that it’s not a contest against others. Everyone can win! Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can all use the gift of repentance when the slide is our fault by quickly changing the things we can and not worrying unduly about the slide down that’s not our fault. Pray for wisdom to know the difference, stay in the game, and by doing your best, with the good Lord’s help, you too will win in the end!
Much
love- The Grandparent Chronicles
Comments
Post a Comment