Commit or Takeback?
A Radlands Tournamet Experience
I am playing in an online Radlands Tournament on Discord (Check out this impressive battlecard game here). I was playing a friend of mine named August. The game was neck and neck, then it happened. August made a misplay. Instead of healing his camp, he attacked me without considering my looming Raiders that was going to pop once my turn started. I know many will not know what any of that means, in short, he made a move that cost him the game. I asked August if he would like to take back that move and heal his camp. He said, “there are no takebacks in the Radlands.” I won the game, but August won too. It all depends on what your definition of winning is.
What’s your goal?
In games and life, goals matter. Goals keep you on track. Goals keep you in the right lane, going the right direction, at the right speed. Goals guide you to decision making and can give you hope. If your goal in games is to win as many games as you can, you may find yourself taking more takebacks (aka back taking back a bad play to make a better play). Taking more takebacks means you will pilot more perfect games as a result. But if your goal is to be a better player, I would suggest taking little-to-no takebacks and committing to your play like August. Why? Failure is a great teacher. Committing to your misplays will make you more apt to not make those mistakes again. Mistakes hurt, but the hurt can be a good thing. Committing to misplays also teaches you to adapt and overcome mistakes. No one pilots a perfect game. What makes an admirable player is not someone who pilots perfectly, rather, it is someone that is adaptable. Someone that is not trying to be perfect, but be better, and there is a difference. Striving for perfection often leads to frustration. Striving to be better presents the opportunity to celebrate many micro-victories with each step forward you take.
No Takebacks in the Radlands
There is wisdom in August’s quote here – “there are no takebacks in the Radlands.” Because there are little-to-no takebacks in life. In every decesion and indecision, there are consequences, and we have a choice to own those consequences or avoid them, thus learning nothing. Everyone experiences their own season of life – Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. Winters are hard. Those are the seasons filled with disappointment. Winters are regular and you cannot avoid them – they always come after fall. But if you endure the Winters of life, you may be able to enjoy the Springs of life. Spring is about a new opportunity. Spring is a chance to sow something. Whether that is a job opportunity, relationship, or another commitment. Jesus gives us the best spring seasons. Scripture tells us Jesus stands at the door and knocks. Opportunity is knocking at the door of your heart; do you have enough room to let it in? But as soon as you plant something, the weeds and bugs are on their way to invade your good soil. That is why Summers are important. Summers are about protecting what you have planted. You cannot just plant an idea and walk away. You must tend to it, nurture it, grow it into something useful for yourself and/or others. Then there is fall. In the fall, you must learn to reap the consequences of your harvest, the victories, and failures. We all go through these seasons in life. The problem I see is that people do not take advantage of the opportunity that is in each of these seasons. Christians, and non-Christians, are trying to pilot a perfect life and stay in that “perfect season” where there are no hardships and pains. When hardship comes, they are so ready to get out of it and be on the other side of it, they miss the important lessons that hardship was to teach. The Israelites were commanded to march around Jericho repeatedly, before invading and taking the city. Sometimes God wants us to march around our obstacles before getting through them. What season are you in? Are you trying to pilot a perfect life and finding yourself frustrated all too often? Or are you ok with taking and celebrating the baby steps toward becoming a better you? I am convinced that the best “you” is found in Christ. Do not take it from me. Read the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It totals about 160 pages. Check and see if this Jesus is a dependable person, you can put your trust in. God bless you as you make that decision and God bless you in whatever season of life you find yourself in.
