Chess Stories (Opening Move)

My dad loved to play chess. It was probably his favorite pastime and one he wanted me to learn. I toyed with the idea of playing professionally, but I’m a mediocre player at best, even though I’ve played for years.

Chess & Life

The thing about chess is that you usually know when you’ve made a mistake, especially if you’re an experienced player. You see it. You feel it. And once you’ve made the move, there are no take-backs.

I’ve found life can be much the same.

The words we speak in a meeting or the assumptions we make. The conclusions we jump to and the things we say to the people we love.

Once they’re out there, we can’t take them back. We have to live with the consequences of our choices.

But there’s one important difference between chess and life: in life, grace is possible.

We can ask our spouse for forgiveness. We can apologize to a friend. We can hope our teammates and leaders extend us grace. And, as followers of Jesus, we know there is always a path back through repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

Maybe the way we play chess reveals more about us than we realize.

Are you impulsive?

Do you jump to conclusions?

Do you play defensively because you’re afraid of losing?

Are you so anxious to win that you put others in danger?

Or do you slow down, consider your next move, and think about how it affects the people around you?

How you play the game may reveal how you do life.

So before you make your next move, on the chessboard or in life, pause.

Think.

Then move wisely.