Cheating at Solitaire

Monday, 22. June 2009 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.

The following is dedicated to the person somewhere out there who has the fierce courage to simply let God take over:

I never have cared for solitaire.

For starters, the game never struck me as skill-based; rather, you seem to largely be at the mercy of the cards. What’s more, you play all by yourself. While my dad can sit there and play for annoyingly long stretches of time, solitaire is definitely not for me.

While surfing the net last week, I came across an album entitled “Cheating at Solitaire” by Mike Ness. Immediately, I was enamored by the title. It grabbed me…and hasn’t let go.

(By the way, you have no idea how many websites out there are dedicated to actually cheating at the computerized version of solitaire. Pretty sure if you look up “pathetic” in the dictionary, you’ll see someone trying to do just that. )

You know, God can use something as innocuous and mindless as surfing the net to jumpstart our next conversation. Because I’ve been thinking about the spiritual implications of my own cheating at solitaire. So without further adue, I would like to proceed with reading ridiculously more into the album’s title than Mike Ness ever intended by considering two simple questions. Off we go.

1)    So what would it mean for someone to cheat at solitaire?

Naturally, someone would not be cheating at anyone else’s expense except their own. Nobody else would know. To them, the lure of a fake victory inexplicably outshines the substance of a true victory. So in a way, they have lied to themselves…and what’s more, they have allowed themselves to be lied to.

First roadblock: Do you even believe that’s possible? Could you trick your own self?

“Do not deceive yourselves.” —1st Corinthians 3:18

So we get a pretty succinct answer from Paul. Evidently the people of Corinth could pull off a little self-deception back in the day, and I don’t think times—or people, for that matter—have changed much in that regard. Assuming we’re all capable of lying to ourselves, let’s move on to the 2nd question.

2)    Why would anyone be interested in lying to themselves? Given the choice, don’t we always prefer the truth compared to the alternatives?

Well, that’s just it. Logically, it follows that we must not always prefer reality (e.g., losing at solitaire), so our solution is to make up a new one (“winning” at solitaire). When we do this, though, we forgo a shot at the real deal, which is infinitely better than the made-up prize we try to sell ourselves. Amazing, really, when you think about all this. 

Recently, I’ve been learning about this guy named Jim Elliot. I’m not sure if he played solitaire, but nonetheless, you may have heard of him. Elliot was the guy who decided to leave his family and friends behind and headed to Central America in the 1950’s. He felt called to tell the Auca Indians about this difference-maker named Jesus. Here is Jim’s brilliant defense of what must have been an agonizing decision:

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” –Jim Elliot

Friends, Jim Elliot did not cheat at solitaire. Jim Elliot took Jesus at His word:

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” –Matthew 16:26

Yes, Jesus arrived on this earth so that we could hang out with Him forever. But He came here for so much more, too. Jesus came to show us how to live the best and fullest life possible, to show us the difference between fool’s gold and the real deal, and leaves us to each day decide which we will grab for.

As we look at our own lives, Jesus’ whole “losing your life” mindset applies to the big, the little and everywhere in between. May it drive where you and I will be located and what we’ll be doing in 5 years, may it drive us to more selfless uses of our summer…and may it drive what comes out of our mouths today.  Check it out:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says… If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”  –James 1:22-26

With the exception of God, nobody will know if you’ve been “cheating at solitaire.” Then again, who really loses when you do that?