Positional Play

So what do you do when you're waiting on that call from God? The "sealed move" is that calling whose opportunity is not yet come, possibly a thing that He has "prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10) in the future instead of right now. Maybe God has something that He needs you to do, but there are things to do first. In Chess, the things that you do (build pawn structure, develop pieces, control space) to set up your strategy are "positional play." You do these little things to get yourself in position to make the big move. Once you're ready, then you begin making the big moves that change the course of the game.

The stuff you do to get ready in life may involve study, exercise, preparation, and something else that is paramount: prayer. Without God's guidance, how does a person answer a calling in life anyway?

The inverted life is not about forcing God to accept you for what you are or forcing God to use you for a purpose that you have chosen. The inverted life is about recognizing that God accepts you now and that He is the one who will change you into what you need to be, and set you on a course for what He has chosen. That may be a thing that you do not want, a thing that takes you out of your comfort zone, or perhaps something completely unexpected.

In Chess, the positional play is just as important as the endgame. If you do not set up your strategy the right way, your options will become limited, and you may even lose the game! It is no coincidence that the inverted life mirrors Chess in this: we must "run in such a way as to get the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24) Just like Chess, the inverted life requires a plan.

Thankfully, God has that part "prepared in advance." It is up to us to trust that plan as we go.