Don't worry ... it's just Bingo!
CBN.com Do you ever get worked up when things don't go your way? Do you ever make a big deal out of things you probably shouldn't? I sure do.
I used to work on a cruise ship as an activities director. I taught dance classes, emceed game shows, led pool parties and socialized with guests. Week after week, I sailed from one exotic port to another. The ocean was my home. Beautiful scenery, fantasic adventure, fine food. Sounds like I was 'living-the-life,' right? Not quite!
Now don't get me wrong. I am extremely thankful for the amazing experiences God brought my way out at sea, but working on a cruise ship was almost like removing myself from the "real world."
Before joining the cruise business, I had lived in New York City. There, I had grown accustomed to deep conversations at quaint cafes, stimulating culture at the most chic museums and the costant challenges of finding freelance work and making subway connections. Not quite what I found on the high seas.
You see, cruise guests normally come to excape life. For seven fun-filled days, they want to eat, drink, and be merry. Forget work, forget politics, forget problems on the home-front. Cruise guests want to lay in the sun, watch shows, and play Bingo. Yes, Bingo.
If you've ever played Bingo, you know it's not the most strategic of games. Someone calls a letter and a number. You frantically search your card and then punch out what's been called. Your goal ... to be the first to have a full line of punched numbers and triumphantly call "BINGO" before anyone else does. When you're on-board a cruise ship and there's not much else going on, the game can become pretty competitive for Bingo players ... and for Bingo hosts.
I was one of those Bingo hosts. I got to sell cards and call out letters. One of the funniest jokes I made had to do with the letter "B" and the number "8." I'd say, "It's what will happen if you fall over-board amidst the sharks--- you will B-8." Okay, so it's not correct grammar, but it always got a laugh. That gives you an idea of how quirky Bingo was aboard my ship.
Well, every week, the activities staff would get together to discuss the past week's cruise. What went right? What went wrong? I remember one particular meeting. It was the last night of the cruise and all the passengers were saying their good-byes and having one last hurrah before returning to real-life. The staff, on the other hand, was discussing Bingo.
After entertaining close to 2500 guests that week, I was exhausted. I missed my friends and family, and I needed to do my laundry. We had a whole new set of 2500 people coming the next day, and I just wanted to sleep! But no ... we continued to discuss the ins and outs of Bingo card sales. Harsh words were thrown back and forth. Reprimands were made. The minutes ticked on and on. I couldn't believe this. The staff was having it out over Bingo. Bingo! They weren't discussing rifts in their relationships, they weren't debating the latest political issues, they weren't talking about the Lord. They were talking about Bingo.
I looked at a friend who seemed to be about as fed-up and "over" this conversation as I was, and I said, "Adam, are they really this worked up over Bingo? It's just Bingo." He chuckled and agreed.
Apparenly, the staff was so lost in "cruise life" that they had become consumed with something as simple and insignificant as Bingo.
Maybe you're consumed by a small challenge in your life. But it seems major. Maybe you've got a concern about your family or a relationship that's not going well ... and you can't see past it. Maybe someone has wronged you and you really want to pay the person back. Perhaps you didn't get that promotion you had worked so hard for. You're consumed by the problem at hand. And as much as you'd like to deny it, it's all you can think about. It's all you can talk about. You "need" to be heard. Justice must be done. Things "have" to be made right!
Here's a suggestion. Why don't you take a step back from your circumstance and look at what's going on. Be honest with yourself. Maybe the problem that you have with your spouse or your friend, your neighbor, your boss, or your co-worker is a major deal only because you've allowed it to become that way. Perhaps there are more profitable things you can think on.
Paul tells us in the book of Philippians what God wants us to think.
Phillipians 4:8,9 says,
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do, and the God of peace will be with you." ( version?)
In the Bible, we're told to "consider" Christ and the suffering He went through.
"For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." (
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We're to compare what we're going through with what Jesus Christ went through and what He accomplished. The mocking Christ endured, the trials he underwent, and ultimately the responsibility of dying on the cross for our sins would consume anyone ... but not the Son of God. Why? Because He had the right perspective. He did nothing on His own, and He suffered for us because it was the will of the Father. Christ let His father consume Him.
If you're in the Word and if your world is framed by Scripture and intimacy with your Heavenly Father, then you'll be able to see your problem in light of the truth -- in light of Christ's victory and promises to you. Let your life be consumed by Christ.
"For our God is a consuming fire." (
)Sometimes we don't need to make a big deal about little things ... or about big things. We can bring all things to the Lord and drop them at the cross. Look at the bigger picture. This too shall pass.
Is there something in your life that's bothering you? Today is a new day and Jesus Christ is ready and willing to deal with your issues. Cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you. let it go.
Perhaps your problem is just Bingo.
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