Jimbo's Jots

I wouldn’t call myself a gamer. I don’t know any gaming system like a Playstation. But I do like video games. Always have! Even as our church preps for its VBS over the past several months, which is based on an 80s theme, I recall the video games and arcades that were popular back in the day. The 70s and 80s were a time in the development of home gaming systems. Who had an Atari system growing up?

I still like video games, but my games are now found on my iPad. I play a golf game, a couple of card games, a couple of word puzzle games. But my favorites are the mystery, puzzle type of games. These are typically set in a specific time period and interject some form of supernatural, magical villain that needs to be captured and powers taken away or destroyed completely.

I love these types of games because they force me to think about possible outcomes and search for various paths to take. They usually involve solving puzzles to gain a tool in order to advance further. Some will even have some “hidden collectibles” along the way that are either morphing or additional tokens to be used when everything is solved.

Sometimes, the role of a therapist is sometimes like this. Maybe that’s why I do enjoy being a counselor. I’m not saying it’s a game to play, but working with people who are anxious or feel stuck, the process to help them feel unstuck or less anxious is like working with one of my mystery puzzle games. There is a searching component. In counseling, I work to help maybe uncover something hidden that the client has not thought about before. There is the inquiry of trying one path only to find that it is a dead end and you have to go back a step or two.

Ultimately, when I see progression and I see clients begin to work through the puzzles of their life on their own, it’s like getting close to the end of one of my games. There are times that I will be in the storyline of my game and realize, “Oh, that was the end!” and I’m caught a bit off guard. Every once in a while, a client will say, “You know that thing we talked about in our last session. I’ve been practicing what we talked about and it seems to be working for me. Can we talk more about that?” After a few more sessions, they come back and say, “Hey! This is working for me! Let’s hold off for a bit of time and see where I am then.” I realize then the “game” is just about over . . . which is a good thing by the way.

What kind of games do you like? How does knowing how to play the game of life give you opportunities to help others along the way?

Be blessed! Be a blessing along the way!