Practice and Patience

This week, my gaming group was learning a new board game. None of us had played it before; it took a bit of time and patience to set up, and after reading the rules we started to play. For the first while, play involved checking the rule book at least one every turn, adjusting our moves as we started to understand the complexities and nuances, checking the rule book again, adjusted our play again when we realised we’d all misunderstood one of the rules, and tried to imagine how we were going to get to the end of the game. It was slow going!

As we continued, we were all being patient with one another, as we asked each other questions or Googled specifics and checked the rule book a large number of times. We got more comfortable with the basics, and started seeing the potential for strategy and nuance in our decisions. While it was a game that defined a ‘winner’, we played in collaborative ways, offering advice and kindness to each other as we took our turns.

As our understanding of the game increased, so did our speed; and when we did come to the end of the game (realising we had actually surpassed a normal ‘end’ point), we all decided that it was a fun game, and would likely be more fun the next time we played it – because now we had a grasp on the game as a whole. We also expected that our next play would fit within the expected time frame (the guidelines suggested it could be played in 60-90 minutes; it took us more than twice that).

Coming home, I pondered with gratitude on how much grace we had all had as we learned this new game. We had all started at the same skill level (none), we all ended with a comparable skill level (basic). Next time there might be a new player, and they’ll be joining in from a beginner position. If we had not exercised this patience with and for each other, the game likely would not have been fun, we may not have agreed that we want to play it again.

Our spiritual journey can be like this: we all start somewhere, with little experience or knowledge in how we engage and understand our religious practices. When we encounter someone new to our community’s expressions of faith, they may be overwhelmed, confused, and a little intimidated. If we can demonstrate the patience and grace for each other the same way we do in learning a new game, we have become encouragers, companions, sojourners.

None of us has all the answers – after all, the faith journey doesn’t have a simple rulebook like a boardgame does. It takes time to try, to consider, to encounter – in the pathway to understanding and discernment. Our goal could simply be to do our best to provide a positive experience, so we all wish to come back and learn more with one another.