On Playing the Hand You Are Dealt

The less time you spend trying to be what you are not the better.

God gives some gifts to all people. He does not give all gifts to all people. He has dealt you some cards but not every card. In life, your work, your family and in the congregation make sure you play the hand you are dealt and not the hand you wish you had.

My family enjoys Pinochle. After the dealer deals the cards, each player sorts through the cards and arranges them. The player must assess what can and, even more importantly, what cannot be done in this round given the cards in hand. You cannot play cards you do not have. And you must make the most of the cards that you do have.

In life God has dealt you certain cards. They consist of:

• Your personal gifts
• A family situation
• A work environment
• Your congregation’s make-up
• The community’s characteristics
• The general tenor of the time

You must sort through these cards and see what the possibilities are and what the limitations are. Nothing is gained by wishing to travel the world if you have little kids and are just starting your work life. Do not expect to run the company if it is a family company and you are not part of the family. Celebrate and engage in the things your congregation does have and do not criticize it for not being what it is not. 

Spend time regularly assessing the strength and opportunity of the hand you hold…now.

Play the cards you have not the ones you wish you did.

Nothing is gained by grumbling about cards you do not have. The Bible roundly and routinely warns against grumbling. Grumbling serves to criticize God’s dealing. Grumbling kills joy. Grumbling grows out of coveting which is the outgrowth of idolatry.

Some of the most miserable people I have known in life are those who continually seek for their purpose in life with cards they do not hold. 

Play the cards you have not the ones you wish you did.

But play them always as wisely and aggressively as you can. Play hard. Play smart. Remember Paul wrote, “Make the most of every opportunity.” Also Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” A limited number of cards does not excuse sloth or neglect.

Take the tricks now that you can.

Play the cards you have not the ones you wish you did.

Let me give you a special caution regarding books, conferences and seminars designed to help you develop in your career or as a parent or as a leader in the congregation. Make sure that you receive such resources wisely. Most of these will come from a source or a situation that involved holding cards different from what you hold in your hand. Make sure that you apply these resources based on the reality of what you hold in your hand. If you do not, you will frustrate yourself and confuse those around you. 

Play the cards you have not the ones you wish you did.

From time to time God offers a new deal. He may provide you with a different work opportunity. He may allow a heart ache to enter your life. Your physical abilities will change with age. No telling when you get dealt a joker! Be careful not to get too fixated on things needing to always remain the same. New cards come.  Be prepared to use different strategies and take advantage of different opportunities when you hold different cards. But in the meantime…

Play the cards you have not the ones you wish you did.