I hate bingo. Let me just start out by saying that. Growing up we would play bingo in the Catholic school and I despised the game. I don’t like games of “chance” to begin with but I am particularly bad at bingo. In 36 years I have never won a game. I am not exaggerating. I have never won, not even once. In my Spanish Class we would play bingo in Spanish. I can lose in two languages. I don’t understand how everyone else can have a row covered and I don’t even have two or three covered but it happens time and again.
These last two weeks have been some of the most trying in my life. I have had a new found sense of my inadequacy to really change much of anything in life and my absolute dependency upon God. We still don’t know what is going to happen with our unborn baby or how the situation is going to turn out. We have had to cast ourselves upon the mercy and grace of God and trust that He will work the situation out to His glory for His purposes. One of the struggles in situations like this is to remember that He is absolutely in control of everything. Nothing happens apart from Him.
The day after Jenn was released from the hospital we had to go back the following day (Sunday morning no less!) to have more testing done. We had planned for months to drive up to Knott’s Berry Farm amusement part to meet Jenn’s family for her dad’s company picnic. With all the medical situations we debated if we would even try to go. We decided we would wait until after the Sunday morning tests to decide. Reluctantly we decided to make the drive up there to meet her family.
When we arrived lunch was already over and they were starting to play bingo. Fortunately Jenn’s mom made two plates of food for us before they closed the food line. All 500 employees and their family were gearing up to play. A bingo card was thrust into my hand that I reluctantly accepted. It wasn’t gambling since there was no buy in and it was the way for the company to give prizes to employees and family.
I don’t get it. It was like my childhood all over again. People were calling out bingo and I barely had any numbers even blocked off. For an hour we sat there and I lost game after game. The closest I came was having two of five in a row. Most of the games had a $50 prize. Two had $100 and one was $250. After an hour they mercifully announced they would have one more game for the grand prize of $750 and it would be four-corner bingo. Which meant you would block out each of the four corners in order to win.
The first number was O-61. Wait a second, that’s my upper right hand corner. The second number was B-3. Huh? That’s my upper right hand corner. The third number was B-1. Unbelievable, that is my lower right hand corner. My heart began to race and my palms were sweating. He called off two more numbers and then he called out O-68. BINGO!!! I HAVE BINGO!!! I couldn’t believe it. I must have made a mistake. I reluctantly ran up there to have the judge look at the card. If you are wrong they spray you with a giant squirt gun. I pictured myself walking around drenched all day. The judge read off my card, I had won $750 paid out all in singles!
As I walked back to my seat I sensed the Lord saying, “David, if I am in control of a bingo game I am in control of the situation you are facing with Jenn and your unborn daughter.” In His own gentle way the Lord reminded me that He is in control of my life even if it takes a bingo game to remind me.
I guess bingo isn’t that bad after all.
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