Musings inspired by a board game

We have this random board game called Solomon's Treasure.

It's a great game, my siblings and I used to play it a lot. We don't play it so much now, as we've gotten more into card games. In some ways it's sad because board games are a lot of fun!

Anyway, I digress. :P

So in Solomon's Treasure, you have to go round the board, going into each of nine different 'treasure rooms'. You have to do various things along the way, including memorizing some Proverbs.

I heard some of my little siblings playing this game the other day, and I heard one of them reciting one of the Proverbs that you have to memorize. It goes like this. "Better to be poor and humble than proud and rich."

I was thinking about that recently. And I know I often talk about the subject of humility (do I ever!!), but it's an important subject.

I used to think that I was humble. But the Lord has been showing me that I am not. Far from it. And I don't know if I'll ever be as humble as Christ.

But it's something to strive for, isn't it?

Here's a great quote that I have no idea who said, but it's blu-tacked up beside the computer and I can see it as I type.

"Win without boasting, lose without excusing."

Go back and read that quote again. Yes, I know, you didn't really think about it, did you?? ;) Win without boasting, lose without excusing. That takes some serious humility. When I win something I like to rub it in the loser's face (terrible isn't it!). I am very competitive. I like to glory in the fact that I won. And when I lose, I blame it on something or someone else. It wasn't my fault. I just wasn't feeling very well. And so on.

It takes a lot of eating of humble pie to humbly say to the winner, "Congratulations. You won because you are better at it than me."

And it doesn't appear so at first, but winning humbly takes eating of humble pie, too. "Congratulations. You made a fine effort." Not, "Congratulations, I won because I'm so awesome."

Remember the age-old adage? "Pride comes before a fall."

Today, as you go about your daily activities, remember - "Better to be poor and humble than proud and rich." Remember to win without boasting and to lose without excusing.

It's worth a shot, anyway. :)