Devotion: Using Your Wild Card Power for Good

My husband and I were invited to a church friend’s home to play games with his two other guests. After some discussion, we decided to play Uno®, a popular game we were all familiar with. One of the cards in the deck is a wild card. With it, the player has the power to do whatever he chooses. The wild card gives complete carte blanche on how to use it. Players usually use it to gain a strategic advantage over other players.

The Rules of the Game

A sample of the moves includes these:

• Reverse direction, skip the next player, then draw two cards;
• Discard all wild cards from all players’ hands in the game except you; or
• Every player except the one who played the wild card must draw three cards from the draw deck.

Eventually, I had to play a wild card. I was unused to making an action up on demand, so I used the card to do something simple. l exchanged my hand for the player’s hand that contained the fewest cards, hoping to win the game on my next turn. I declared, “Uno®!” as I tossed the penultimate card onto the discard stack. Victory seemed close. As in most games, however, an advantage can be fleeting, as was mine. After several hands and being forced to draw additional cards, another player won.

Later, I thought about the power the wild card represented. It is true it gives the player who holds it the ability to take punitive action against other players to increase his chances of winning. However, a player could use the card for good. I could have used it during the game to give one or all the other players an unexpected advantage. Or I could have chosen a fun, non-threatening option, such as selecting a player to call a friend and compliment them.

Wouldn’t it have been a better example of good sportsmanship to have used my power to give us all a better chance of winning instead of just trying to use my advantage selfishly?

Reflections on the Uses of Power

What would Jesus have done? We don’t need to go far in the Bible to find examples of Jesus doing good for the benefit of others. But first, we can establish that He had extraordinary power.

1. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
2. John 1:3 declares of Jesus, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

With His power, He healed and gave hope. His mission of coming to earth fulfilled a prophecy of compassion and mercy. By His stripes, we are healed, and through His sacrifice, we can have eternal life.

Jesus had compassion for a woman who had suffered from infirmity for 18 years. He noticed her in the synagogue and called her to himself. He spoke words of authority over her, put his hands on her, and released her from her broken condition. With a touch, Jesus healed the woman who was bent over, and with a word, he restored health to ten lepers as He traveled through Samaria and Galilee. Through the strength of His connection with the Father, He resisted the Enemy’s temptation in the wilderness. And with a word, He gave hope to a repentant thief who hung on a cross.

His power is greater than any circumstance. He offers this power to us.

Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The disciples received the same power that is available to us.

So back to using our power for good. We are told our prayers can move mountains. Imagine what we could accomplish for God’s glory if, instead of focusing on our goals or trying to manipulate situations for our advantage, we surrendered our gifts, influence, will, and efforts to please Him. The possibilities are beyond our wildest expectations.