Monopoly is a wonderful game. I used to play it a lot with my children and friends.
Life is like a game of Monopoly. You strategize, take risks, and wheel and deal to improve your
position. But when the game is over, all the pieces go back in the box. When the game of life is over,
your body is placed in the grave.
Only eternal investments will follow you into eternity. To get the most out of life, you must arrange
your priorities around what matters most. A life that focuses on temporary prizes will result in disappointment when the game is over.
Life’s greatest fulfillment comes when you love God, love others, and nurture your own soul.
Here is a story by John Ortberg of what Monopoly can teach us about life:
My grandmother taught me a lot about life on the Monopoly board. She was a brutal player. It didn’t matter that I was ten years old. She played to win. But she taught me how to play the game.
Through her influence, I learned the absolute importance of arranging my whole life in light of eternity.
Maybe your grandmother was a pushover and allowed you to win every time. But not mine.
The competitive spirit of my grandmother came out on the Monopoly board. She was a gentle and kind person, but not when it came to Monopoly. I tried to hang on to my money for as long as I could. I didn’t like taking risks.
My grandmother, on the other hand, knew that to win, you had to take risks. She bought up property as quickly as possible and mortgaged her property in order to buy more. Before long she controlled the board.
As master of the board, she squeezed at my resources and it was only a matter of time before my last dollar was gone, my race car was put back in the box, and the game was over. Another loss. She always told me not to worry because one day I would learn to play the game.
One summer a friend and I played Monopoly every day, and I became a much better player. I finally began to understand what my grandmother had taught me about the game.
The next fall I experienced the greatest moment of my life. It happened on Marvin Gardens. My grandmother paid me her last dollar. I had beaten her for the first time. I completely controlled the board.
But then she taught me one more very important lesson. When the game is over, all the pieces go back in the box.
As much as I wanted to savor the thrill of the moment, the game was over. Is that not an accurate picture of the game of life? Life on earth is not going to last forever. This is true whether you are a person of faith or not. You may act like the game is going to last forever. But it doesn’t.
Life is like a game of Monopoly. You strategize, take risks, and wheel and deal to improve your
position. But when the game is over, all the pieces go back in the box. When the game of life is over,
your body is placed in the grave.
Only eternal investments will follow you into eternity. To get the most out of life, you must arrange
your priorities around what matters most. A life that focuses on temporary prizes will result in disappointment when the game is over.
Life’s greatest fulfillment comes when you love God, love others, and nurture your own soul.
Here is a story by John Ortberg of what Monopoly can teach us about life:
My grandmother taught me a lot about life on the Monopoly board. She was a brutal player. It didn’t matter that I was ten years old. She played to win. But she taught me how to play the game.
Through her influence, I learned the absolute importance of arranging my whole life in light of eternity.
Maybe your grandmother was a pushover and allowed you to win every time. But not mine.
The competitive spirit of my grandmother came out on the Monopoly board. She was a gentle and kind person, but not when it came to Monopoly. I tried to hang on to my money for as long as I could. I didn’t like taking risks.
My grandmother, on the other hand, knew that to win, you had to take risks. She bought up property as quickly as possible and mortgaged her property in order to buy more. Before long she controlled the board.
As master of the board, she squeezed at my resources and it was only a matter of time before my last dollar was gone, my race car was put back in the box, and the game was over. Another loss. She always told me not to worry because one day I would learn to play the game.
One summer a friend and I played Monopoly every day, and I became a much better player. I finally began to understand what my grandmother had taught me about the game.
The next fall I experienced the greatest moment of my life. It happened on Marvin Gardens. My grandmother paid me her last dollar. I had beaten her for the first time. I completely controlled the board.
But then she taught me one more very important lesson. When the game is over, all the pieces go back in the box.
As much as I wanted to savor the thrill of the moment, the game was over. Is that not an accurate picture of the game of life? Life on earth is not going to last forever. This is true whether you are a person of faith or not. You may act like the game is going to last forever. But it doesn’t.
