Chess, one of the most widely played board games in history is a game designed of opening moves, set up moves, countermoves and forcing moves where each player attempts to string together a series of plays to beat their opponent. Now chess has never been a game I particularly got into, but I did watch the miniseries The Queens Gambit and was fascinated by the portrayal of finesse, thought, poise and planning that went into every move that Beth Harmon perfected.
You might be thinking… what does chess have to do with this blog. Well, I have been reading the book “Chase the Lion” by Mark Batterson and ironically enough he referenced chess as a metaphor for life. Now having seen the show and understanding the game better, I too see how it is a beautiful analogy for life. And fits perfectly with the idea of building good habits.
Batterson refers to God as the Grand Master of our lives stating “And the game of life is far more complicated than a game of chess. But that shouldn’t make you nervous, not if the Grand Master is the One ordering your footsteps.” The one ordering our steps… just as a Grand Master (an elite player, someone who knows supremely more about the game) would order the moves to ultimately win and be a champion. The comparison to chess doesn’t just stop there. The part that really gets me is the idea of how pre-moves, set-up moves and forcing moves all play into our personal lives.
Looking back at habits and how last week’s message can correlate to this. In building good habits it starts with the mindset to direct ourselves that direction – pre-move. Then comes the set-up move, beginning the habit and creating consistency in our actions. Then comes the forcing move where we put those actions into play to achieve our goals.
Think about starting a career. If the end goal is to be the CEO, there has to be a series of moves through school, internships, entry level jobs to eventually reach the top. Or an athlete that wants to play at the professional level. They don’t just go through the motions and then make it to the elite level. It takes years of practice, of wins and losses to eventually play the forcing move that gets them to the top.
The set-up move is so important. Just as a CEO or athlete would need to prepare for the end goal, we as Christians have the same responsibility. Lent begins today. The start of a season of preparation for believers leading up to Easter. Lent can be critical for spiritual and personal growth because it allows for time to self-reflect, give up bad habits or put focus on an area that needs to grow.
But we can’t just focus on one move. Batterson uses a personal story that does a great job of encompassing every aspect of this game of life we play. He explains how the Matchmaker was setting him up. He started attending a church and he had no idea that the pastor had a daughter he would end up falling for. Then once they met, he says “I made opening moves, quiet moves, counter moves until I checkmated my queen.”
Pause, let’s quickly take a closer look at the idea of countermoves. See, things won’t always go as planned. As we’ve talked before there is adversity and unknowns that come our way and those lead to sudden changes in our plans and strategy. But when we make a planned counter move, just as one would to outsmart their opponents strategic block in chess, we are able to get back on track with the plan we have to complete the mission. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” So yes, it will be challenging but if we remember our plan and stick to the path laid before us we can be encouraged to know that we will not be forsaken or left to figure it out on our own.
Whatever the end goal is for you, make strategic moves to build the habits you need that lead to the set-up moves and forcing moves to successfully accomplish the plan that you set for yourself. Be encouraged that the Grand Master of your life cares about you and carefully plans the steps for you. Every step that you take with good habits and good intentions will ultimately help lead you on the path set before you and allow you the checkmate the goals you have set.
WORKOUT
Much like chess and the game of life, fitness is also designed with moves and plans to achieve an end goal. To help us set ourselves up for the checkmating of our fitness goals we are going to continue focusing on the core exercises and strengthening every part of body, just as we would strengthen every part of our chess game.
For this workout use the WOD app or a stopwatch. We are going to perform 40sec work and 20 sec of rest. Take a minute break after each block is complete.
Block 1:
- Air Squats
- Split Squats (left leg forward)
- Split Squats (right leg forward)
- Twisting Jump Squat
Block 2:
- Burpees
- Wide Grip Push-Ups
- Plank Hold (on elbows)
- Dips
Block 3:
- Side V-Ups (left side up)
- Side V-Ups (right side up)
- Plank Jacks (either on hands or elbows, stay in plank and move feet in/out)
- Sit-Ups
Hammer and Anvil 