God and Dice

This is not how you use dice.

You roll dice.

In games with dice, the dice and chance are the masters of the outcome.  We become willingly dependent upon them to tell us the fate of our turn with a roll. In a way, this is part of the fun of games of chance.

Where is this kind of dependence on God in our own lives?

How often are you letting God determine the outcome?  In your [insert project/endeavor/road trip/dating life/career/family/troubles/etc here] how much room are you giving the Holy Spirit to inspire and move?  How much room are you giving God to create and guide? How often do you say “God, I’m trusting you to work this out.” Or “God, this is less planned out than I want it to be, but I have faith in your Divine Providence.”

We have a natural desire to control every particular aspect of our lives.  We have 100 television channels so we can control what we watch.  We have access on itunes or youtube to virtually every recorded song there is.  We control who we see on Facebook and Twitter, and who we don’t.  We can control the temperature in our house, what we want on our burger, and what colors are shoes are.  But if we try to control every little detail, what’s left for God to control?

The interesting thing about dice is that if you want to use them properly, you have to let go of them.  You have to drop the dice.  You could map out every possible outcome and draft the perfect strategy and try to use math to gain an advantage.  But you eventually have to drop the dice and see what comes up.

Dice are stupid.  Neither chance nor dice care about you.  But God cares about you.  Radical dependence on God is not dice rolling.  There is a person involved (three to be exact) and He is giving you the numbers — not always the ones you want but exactly the ones you need.  In fact, He often gives you numbers you never would have thought of. Let’s start depending, DEPENDING, on God’s grace.  Depending on God means risking failure.

Depending does not mean just thanking God in retrospect if your plans work out. Don’t be a prophet who only talks about the past.  That’s safe.  Don’t be an Apostle who never speaks “Rise!” to the cripple. That’s safe.  Don’t be David and never whip a stone toward the giant.  That’s safe.  Don’t be a Catholic who never leaves room for God’s providence to map out the journey. Drop the dice.