The unusual part of that statement is not the time or the game, since it is my constant travel companion – I have filled the hours waiting for many pre-dawn flights playing it.  But not on the actual board.  And not against myself.

(A moderately dumbed-down computer opponent on my Kindle works best.)

I have set up the board this morning to illustrate one of the greatest life-lessons the game has taught me.  There is much wisdom to be learned from Scrabble.  For instance, the smallest words are the building blocks to success.  The most difficult letters are the most valuable.  But there is one truth that tops them all.

Don’t waste the blank tile.

For those unfamiliar with the game, when you play all seven of your letters in one move, you get an extra 50 points.  It’s called a bonus word.  The blank tile is the most sure-fire way to get those extra points.

To use the blank, say, to stand in for a U to help a Q in one’s hand is to throw away potential points.  (I laugh at you, my computer foe, for such a stupid… oh yeah, I made you that way.  My bad.  Play on.)

I love blank tiles.

This has helped me think correctly about plans for the new year.  I enjoy this re-set moment in the calendar.  I like to set forth some “intentions” for the coming months.  In the past, I thought of the new year as a blank canvas – something completely open for change.

But the reality is that we have already in place many elements that we have to work with.  Like the letters on tiles before me.  They are givens.  Our jobs.  Our neighborhoods.  Our responsibilities.  Some are easy to work with, like the low-point vowels.  Some are problematic Js or Xs.

Still, with the Lord, there is freedom to change, to reach, to attempt something big.  In his love, there is always a blank tile to work with.

Don’t waste the blank tile.

How can we use the power to change for the greatest benefit?  By making the goals that we reach for more than just personal achievements.  Aim for that high score: God’s intentions.

            Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
                 but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21)

Ultimately, we find our greatest joy and meaning when we align to his work.  As the Lord’s prayer teaches us: his name, his kingdom, his will.  Why settle for the usual paltry goals of more comfort and more security.

As I get older, I increasingly care that something in my life and work will last.  I don’t want to just run around in a yearly circle of trying and reviewing until the wheel slowly stops.  Until the last game is played.

The verse above reminds us, God’s intentions will stand.

That’s the bonus our hearts long for.

Lord, as we make our plans for the new year, we thank you for the power of your Spirit to make real, lasting changes in ourselves and the world around us.  Help us to align our goals to your purposes, that our work, in you, will stand.

Reader:  How do you approach the new year?

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