“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it only causes harm.”
(Psalm 37:7-8)
If there is one lesson every competitive gamer eventually learns, it is this: The match is not over just because you are losing.
Yet many players forget this. The enemy secures the first objective, a teammate makes a mistake, or someone gets caught out of position. The scoreboard begins to look ugly.
Suddenly frustration begins to grow, the chat becomes hostile, communication breaks down and players stop focusing on the objective.
Instead of trying to win, they start blaming one another. They become angry. They become distracted. They tilt.
Veteran players know that this is often the true turning point of a match. The team did not lose because the enemy was stronger. The team lost because they stopped thinking clearly. They stopped playing together and didn’t focus on what truly mattered.
The enemy team continue to gain advantage after advantage. It becomes more and more frustrating. We feel the anger rises within us and we seek someone to blame. That is exactly when the Lord says: “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.”
Why?
Because anger causes us to lose sight of the objective. Anger narrows our vision, clouds our judgment, turns teammates into enemies and turns setbacks into disasters.
Every experienced gamer has seen this happen. A player becomes so focused on proving someone wrong that they forget to play the game. A player becomes so obsessed with an earlier mistake that they miss new opportunities. A player becomes so frustrated that they sabotage their own chances of victory.
Spiritually, the same thing happens every day. Someone insults or criticizes us. Someone appears to prosper through selfishness while we struggle despite trying to do what is right. The temptation to respond with wrath is immediate.
But the Lord tells us to do something entirely different. Rest in the Lord, wait patiently and trust the Lord’s timing. Keep your eyes on the true objective. This teaching lies at the heart of Swedenborg’s writings of spiritual life.
Throughout Arcana Coelestia and True Christian Religion, Swedenborg writes that temptations are spiritual battles and not battles against other people.
These are battles within ourselves. The real enemy is not the person who offends us. The real enemy is the selfish reaction that begins growing inside us. The real battle is between heaven and hell within the human mind.
One voice says: “Get even.” “Prove yourself.” “Strike back.” “Make them suffer.”
Another voice says: “Trust the Lord.” “Remain true and steady.”
Swedenborg writes that the Lord permits these struggles because they are part of our regeneration. Just as athletes become stronger through training, and gamers improve through difficult matches, Christians grow through spiritual combat.
Nobody becomes an angel without battles. Nobody learns patience without situations that test patience. Nobody learns forgiveness without opportunities to forgive. Nobody learns charity without encountering difficult people.
The Lord uses all of it. Every frustration becomes training. Every temptation becomes practice. Every difficult interaction becomes preparation for heaven.
And this is where the True Christianity League becomes so important. Most gaming communities teach players how to improve reaction times, plan a better strategy and how to climb rankings.
But how many communities teach players how to improve spiritually?
How many teach patience, humility, forgiveness and charity?
The True Christianity League exists because Christians need a place where character matters as much as skill. A place where gaming becomes preparation for eternal life and where players learn not only how to perform under pressure, but how to react under pressure.
Because reactions reveal character. When things are easy, anyone can be pleasant. When victory comes easily, anyone can be kind. The true test comes when things go wrong. How do we react when someone lets us down, insults us or when life feels unfair?
The answer is simple: Rest in the Lord. Do not fret. Do not become consumed by anger. Keep your eyes on the objective. That advice wins matches but more importantly, it wins spiritual battles.
Heaven is the true objective. Every ranking system on earth will disappear. Every leaderboard will eventually be forgotten. Every championship trophy will fade. But the character we build remains forever. The patience we develop remains forever. The charity we learn remains forever. The heavenly habits we acquire remain forever.
Amen.