One of the greatest childhood games of all times that has outlived generations is TAG! It has been played by everyone from babies to celebrities and developed into many variations. Freeze tag, cartoon tag, toilet tag, and here’s a new one (at least for me) hotdog tag just to name a few.
As a 1st grade kid, I crushed at this game, and it was played often throughout my childhood. One of my most vivid memories from this age involves a game of tag at recess. This is what I remember: most days after lunch when we would let out for recess, I would race the fastest kids of 1st and 2nd grade from one end of the sidewalk to another. (One 2nd grader always beat me!!!!) But after that, another race began. It involved a small group of girls in my class chasing me around the playground.
The time I remember most, I LOST! I lost the race to the playground AND I lost the game of TAG on the playground. As I zigged and zagged and zoomed around dodging the formidable foes, I took a turn under the monkey bars. The ground gave way and I lost control as I slid to my side, succumbing to the claws of those predators. It ended with a KISS on the cheek from one – Brenna Strubble (I think was her name), the principal’s daughter! GROSS!!!!!!!
Some of the offshoot games that have been created include Sardines, Sharks and Minnows, Capture the Flag, and Amoeba Tag. Growing up in the 90s in the holiness craze days were Christian t-shirts, WWJD bracelets, and the next wave of Christian pop music. We of course had to also Christian-ize games. The greatest was Roman and Christians! It was a classic lock-in special.
(A lock-in was an all-night event with a bunch of teenagers running around the church, mostly in the dark – what could go wrong!)
I have a very vivid memory from my first youth group lock-in and it did NOT end like my first-grade tag but definitely involved the same theme, just with Romans and Christians instead of the ‘Girls Chase Boy’.
The goal in this game is to “find Jesus,” who is hiding somewhere in the church, but NOT get caught by the Romans, who would put you in jail. Winner is first to find Jesus and get back without being arrested or could be the Romans if they capture all the Christians.
So, there I was hiding from the Romans, in a classroom under a desk, on my search for Jesus when a pair of legs stopped next to me, heels to the wall, followed by another pair of legs with feet facing the first pair. After that, I immediately heard the unmistakable sound of tongues slapping eachother like a couple clumsy walruses.
As a seventh grader, I knew exactly what to do. Looking up, I tugged on pant legs of the offenders and shouted in a whisper, “Get outta here, you’ll get us caught.” So, my ex-girlfriend and my buddy Mario, high-tailed it out of there in time, and I kept playing without getting caught.
What a game!!! If you just based the rules and understanding of TAG and its variants on my experience alone, you’d think that kissing was somehow the underlying mission of this game. This couldn’t be further from the TRUTH.
This is a little bit of the same issue that the folks from scripture ran into…not really the kissing but misunderstanding the point of the game.
Jesus had a conversation with some religious people who questioned certain behavioral rules of Jesus’ followers. Jesus addressed these issues and said in very clear terms, “You guys have it all wrong! You’re focused on kissing when that was NEVER the aim of the game.” (Matt 15:1-20; My paraphrase)
This was a continual issue and had been long before as Jesus quoted a prophet from hundreds of years earlier. “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are just human rules.” (Isaiah 29:13)
Much of the brokenness in our world has been exacerbated by the implementation of human error and sinfulness. It’s often done with the original intent to play the game, but our own desires and struggles have given way to new rules and alternative pursuits.
God is interested in our finding Jesus! And unlike the highly UNspiritual youth group game, Jesus is NOT hiding in the dark. He is standing at the door and knocking, he is pursuing us, he is looking for us, he is calling to us and it is up to us how we will respond. And he is NOT looking for lip service, but genuine relationship and honest worship.
I hope that this finds you in the center of the will of God and serves as a boost to your pursuit of wholeness in Christ and not your own self-made, self-preserving rules and efforts.
If not, then may you become aware of the game you’ve been playing or the false rules by which you’ve been playing, be reminded of your calling, be convicted of your current pursuit, and be encouraged to find new life in living into a different set of rules…the ones originally given.
If you have any questions about this life or the rules of the game, I’d love to chat. Don’t hesitate to reach out. Praying for your restoration NOW!!!
#TAG
#LipService
#FunAndGames
#RestoringWholenessOfLife
Brett
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