"What I'd like," said a man to our left Saturday night at Kansas Star Casino, "is a royal flush or a straight flush. I'd give everyone at the table $100."
Aha -- sounds good! But then he added: "The last time I made a straight flush was 1987."
"So you're due," we told him hopefully.
"Overdue," a woman to his left added.
Straight flushes don't happen very often, of course. And for that matter, neither does the attitude of that man -- especially when it comes to poker. It's an attitude of giving, and it's downright Biblical.
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. - Luke 6:38
In a typical poker room, giving is the last thing on people's minds. A gain in a cash game normally means taking money from other players. Winning in a tournament requires getting all the chips in play from the competition. Sadly, many people live their lives with the same mindset.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. - James 4:1-2
God is ready to provide your needs -- if you ask Him. Oh, and don't forget....
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. - James 4:3
Maybe we should all try asking God in prayer for blessings that we can share with other people -- especially with people in more difficult situations than our own. That approach can fulfill something we hinted at in our last post....
Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. - Ecclesiastes 11:1On this night, the royal flush and straight flush didn't come. But a good example of Christianity did -- at least in word.
1 comment:
Amen. Yes, Many have argued that poker is a game for the greedy...I am convinced that only the most humble will make it. See my blog post at: http://brandonjchai.com/index/an-important-lesson-about-life-i-learned-by-playing-texas-hold-em-poker/
The thing is, when somebody like the man you described does have a calm, giving, and humble attitude, it makes the game a lot more fun to play, because instead of thinking only of crushing your opponent, you concentrate more on the fun of the game and the social context behind it.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth"
I have learned this to be true in life...and in poker as well
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