Every Move You Make

Have you ever played chess?

I've played twice, I think. I learned when I was very young, and began to learn the rules, but, chess, as a game, is too spatial, and the spatial part of my brain is...slow. Forward, backward, only diagonal, corner to corner, knights can jump but nothing else can, on, and on, and on, rules...but the bottom line is this: In chess, every move matters.
Growing up I always heard that the chess players were nerds, chess was for extremely intelligent people who developed calculated move patters in an effort to win the game. Bishop, Knight, Rook, Pawn, Queen, and King...Checkmate.


She walked into my apartment at almost midnight last night. It was only Monday, but the day felt so long. As she walked in I measured my breath, waiting for her to sit down beside me on the couch. In a decade of investment, I've had many late night conversations with young women in a manner like this, but most of them were suicidal or grieving some major mistake...She didn't fit into either category, and I was glad, I am glad. At midnight, I would much rather have a positive conversation than one that could literally mean the difference between life and death, but, even as she found her place on the couch I took a few deep and measured breaths. This conversation might not mean the difference between life and death, but it meant a difference.

When she sat next to me I took another deep breath and began to tell her something I believe to be entirely true. I told her that she was/is a game changer. I explained that what the Lord has planned for her lovely life is majestic, as is her lovely life itself. I explained that to be a game changer doesn't mean living a life that's loud and glamorous, it's about living a life that's purposeful.  Game changers are people who understand that in life, just like in chess, every move matters. One move can mean the difference between joy and heartache, between good and better, better and best, life and death, or even eternity with Jesus and eternity without Him.

One single move.

We are a generation living in desperate times. People are surrounded by ache, grief, and oppression, the likes of which have never been seen before. At the same time, we are a generation of frivolity. We toss money like water for designer jeans, nikes, cars, houses, and spiffy lattes while children lose parents, starve slowly, or hike miles for life giving water every single day. We are a generation that has lost the knack, the gift, of living intentional lives. Over the last week it's been laid on my heart to let all of my girls know that they are, indeed, game changers. If a basketball player really understands that his two points could potentially change the outcome of the game, he's more likely to take the shot. Every person is different, created majestically in the Image of God for a purpose only he/she can carry out. The more a person believes herself capable of making moves that have game changing potential, the more likely she is to make moves that actually change the game.

Sometimes every game changer needs to be reminded that he/she is capable of making game changing moves. If people truly believed that every move they made matter, the game would be changed in far fewer moves.  If every word, every investment, every move we made was made with the understanding that it really could mean the difference between a win, and a loss...maybe we'd be known as a generation of winners.I'm not talking winners of lotteries, superbowls, or  Academy Awards, I'm talking about daily life, full of intention, and the understanding that one life is worth it....I'm talking about living full, and pouring out, and paying attention, with the knowledge that something could potentially change, hopefully for the better, as a result of every move we make.


You're a gamechanger. Think before you speak, assess the terrain before you move, listen before you act, and then, by all means, make your move, and change this game.

Check Mate,
Courtney