I have a confession to make … I play Candy Crush.  I sometimes play it a couple of times per day.  I have it on my iPad and on my phone, and I have been known to play it on my computer as well. 

I used to have lots of different games on my iPad but I deleted them when I found I could waste whole evenings rotating through them all until my lives had run out.  The only game to survive that cull was Candy Crush.

When I started playing a number of years ago I quickly progressed through the levels and there were times when I had passed all there was to play and I needed for the creators to release more levels.

There have been a couple of times when I have gotten stuck on a particular level for a number of days, and I contemplate deleting the game altogether, but then I recall the hours I have racked up working my way through it all and I convince myself to persist.

Why is it I have persevered with playing this game when there are other, more worthwhile, activities I am willing to give up at a moment’s notice at the first sign of difficulty?  Exercise, healthy eating, spiritual disciplines, relationships, study, work just to name a few!

Candy Crush is a tool I use for relaxation and fun, but I notice that I can become a little obsessed if I am trying to beat that one level, or pass a friend’s score.  When I recognise this competitive feeling rising in me I know it is time for me to walk away and take a considerable break.  My most recent break was for 2 years!

It is, after all, only a game and not of any great life altering importance.  There are not too many life lessons to be gained from matching 3 or more shapes in varying degrees of difficulty. When the balance is a little ‘off’ I only return to play when I feel that my perspective has settled back to a more normal rhythm.

While there is nothing wrong with playing Candy Crush, or any other game for that matter, for leisure, it is primarily about who is in control … is it me or the game?  In the Bible Paul says this: “I can hear some of you saying, “for me all things are permitted.”  Here’s my response:  I will not allow anything to control me.”  1 Corinthians 6:12 (NASB)

This reminds me that I need to carefully consider who (or what) I will allow to be the master of me, my life and my time.  I am happy to surrender control to God, not the creators of Candy Crush.  I pray I will always keep that perspective, especially when I am trying to beat that next level!

Be blessed.