What is spiritual Jenga?

Don’t get thrown off by the word “spiritual”. I used it simply to give you the heads up that we are going to looking at the bible and considering what it says about building foundations.

Before we get started with the spiritual application of this game, I want to consider the word Jenga – where does it come from and what does it mean?

This word definitely fits what we are looking at and referencing – BUILDING.

Pardon me. I assumed everyone is familiar with the game of Jenga. Here is a short video of the game and how it’s played.

In the process of looking for the definition I stumbled across the most amazing analogy given to the meaning of jenga. It is so on point on so many levels that before getting started I must share it too…

Decisions such as continuing one’s education, where to live, to marry a given man or woman, to have children, to stay and work at an organization, to move or, create your own are all the building blocks that we utilize to build our worlds, our lives. Every decision is independent of each other, like the Jenga blocks, yet they are all connected and lead to one thing.

Just as the Jenga participant must decide which block to remove, we too, must decide which decision will get us to where we want to go next. However, in order to build something great, risks must be taken.

12/28/2017 The Jenga Metaphor, Enlightenment.com.

Basically they are saying that each Jenga block represents individual choices that we make.

Do you remember Legos the little blocks that children would receive to play with and encourage their imagination.

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Legos are teachable building blocks also. They teach you how to build and that you can build anything. But they differ from Jenga in that the blocks being interlockable to not fall part unless you purposely break them apart. So you can make all of the choices in building that you want and you dont really experience consequences in your chooses. 

Whereas Jenga, on the other hand, is all about the consequences of our choices.

That is such a potent way of looking at things. Especially when you consider the potential to fall.

Look at what else I read in the article from enlightenment.com about how we build. I had to take a picture of it so I wouldn’t forget this lol.

That was awesome. It made my study all the more easier and cut down on my own personal research time because it made the information applicable.

We cannot deny that the decisions we make are important. The choices we make are important. Building and how we build is important and therefore…

The foundation we choose to build upon, the materials we choose to build with, how we build, and what we build is important.

If we are not careful we will fall. I am a living witness by myself of that truth.

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Everyone falls. Babies fall a lot due to the unsurety of their steps. Youth fall in play. Young adults fall in discovery. Elderly fall as their steps and gait become less sure with age.

Everyone falls at one point or another.

So both of those games, Legos and Jenga, are amazing teachable tools in building and in making choices.

Ironically, though, this post and the series of posts that will be attached to this one, is about foundations which is important in building.

This post was inspired by Psalm 11:3

The more that I pondered that question, posed by the Psalmist David,  the more I found myself looking at the foundation itself.

I decided to look at every verse in the written word of GOD to us that had to do with foundations and I realized that He was telling us what to do in reference to how to build and how to make sure that what we are building will last.

What should the righteous do if the foundations are broken?

• Check our structure
• Check the solidity of our foundation
• Make sure we are building on a firm foundation.

This can’t be done if we don’t know what our foundations are. Or how to build.

Understanding the foundations will help in so many different areas.

No matter what one is doing. When one knows the steps and why each step is important then it will help them to successfully complete that which they are trying to build.

Omg! And just like that I stumble across another website who understands this same concept.

Their understanding I don’t need to duplicate. So instead here is a snippet, and I encourage you to check their site out also…

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I find it absolutely amazing to see how all of us is being shown the same things. Each of us have a piece of the puzzle.

Well, now it’s time for me to add the piece of the puzzle that I have…

God’s Word

So I’m excited to get started in sharing what God’s word has to say, a little at a time because I want to not brush over what our Heavenly Father is showing us. Starting with…

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” – Matthew 7:24-27 NIV

1. One who successfully builds on a firm foundation is one who heard Gods Word and put it into action. They did what God’s Word said to do. They followed the instructions, and got the results.

46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” – Luke 6:46-49 NIV

2. The one hearing God’s Word and doing it is likened to one who digs deep, and lays a foundation on the rock.

I’ve shared on my social media page how one person once told me that they just don’t “dig that deep”. That statement was made in reference to a conversation that we were having in reference to the holidays of this world.

Here we are seeing that it is necessary to dig deep and not just that. We need to make sure that our foundation is on rock.

Let’s look at what the next reference tells us regarding this rock.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. – 1 Corinthians 3:10-17 NIV

This is the last verse that will be shared at this sitting.

There is so much value found in this verse.

We are first told to be wise builders. We have already learned that those who are wise builders dig deep into God’s Word. They don’t just hear God’s Word, they also practice it.

Next we learn that the founding foundation or the beginning foundation is Jesus Christ. There is no other foundation that can be laid. So everything else is building on what has already been laid.

How we are building will test tested. The quality of our work will be tried – as if by fire. How we built will be proven.

What are we building? Ourselves.

We are God’s Temple. We are the church. What we are supposed to be building or rebuilding is ourselves, not a brick and mortar building.

Therefore, if our focus has been a brick and mortar building, we have been missing the mark in the rebuilding that is needing to be done.

The church definitely needs to be rebuilt, but not the brick and mortar building.

I am looking forward to sharing more on what God’s Word has to say about the building of foundations later.