Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Super Meat Boy and Prayer

http://www.gamesradar.com/super-meat-boys-retro-reference-guide/?page=2
A couple years ago, my friend bought me Super Meat Boy on Steam. I started playing it and was pleasantly surprised with the difficulty of the game. It took me a while, but I beat the first world with A+ on everything. I was struggling,  but I overcame every level that I faced.

I then advanced to World 2, anticipating the greater challenge with excitement. I started Level 2-1, and about 100 tries later gave up. I could not get past the first real jump on the very first level. There was a seemingly insurmountable mound of salt (which kills you in the game) in my way, and no amount of wall jumping could get me past it. I tried and tried and tried, but I simply could not move past this obstacle and advance in the game. I finally looked to the forums for help and discovered a fatal flaw in the way that I played. One huge part of the game that I had never known about. A sprint button.
The jump that taught me to sprint.
Screen shot from Super Meat Boy Level 2-1

If you ever played Super Meat Boy, you know how important the sprint button is. I had played through an entire fifth of the game without utilizing this huge resource that not only allowed me to run faster, but also jump farther and higher. If I had been using the sprint button, not only would I have been able to beat the level, but all the levels before it would have been much easier.

Often as Christians, we neglect to use the biggest assets that we have been given. We go to church and bible studies, and have theological discussions on our own, but we don't spend enough time on something that is not only crucial to  the development of our relationship with God, but also gives us the strength to face the problems we come up against in life. That thing is prayer. Prayer is crucial to developing our relationship with God,
 and it helps us face trials in our life.

Plain and simple, prayer is communicating with God, and you cannot have a relationship with someone that you do not communicate with. Even long distance relationships need some form of communication, whether it be letters or phone calls. Jesus is a perfect example of how important prayer is to developing your relationship with God. "In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there." Mark 1:35. You would think that if there was anyone who would not need to pray, it would be Jesus because he was God. Yet Jesus still made it a point to have one on one prayer time with  God in his daily life. If Jesus needs to pray, then we need to even more so.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7. When we pray about the things we are facing or struggling with, God may not take the thing away or make things easier, but he does promise that he will give you peace. Jesus did this in the garden of Gethsemane right before he faced crucifixion. Jesus could have been doing anything, but the most important thing for him to do, right before he faced the greatest trial of his life was pray.

Prayer is like our sprint button. If I had been utilizing the sprint button for the entire time I was playing Super Meat Boy, not only would I have been able to progress even further in the game, but all of my progress before that would have been much easier and faster. If we make it a point, to pray alone with God daily, then our spiritual growth will progress much faster, and if we try to serve God, we will hit an impossible road block.

Application:

Questions to ask yourself:
Am I setting time aside to pray to God every day?

When I pray, am I following Jesus' example in the Sermon on the mount by...
Praying in solitude?
Praising and thanking God for his blessings?
Asking God to take care of me?
Confessing my most secret sins, and asking for forgivenss?
Asking God to protect me from temptation?

Going Further:
Prayer is not the only thing that we need to develop our relationship with God. What are some other essential parts of a Christian life? How can me make sure that we are pursuing those things? Comment with your answers.

1 comment:

  1. Argh! What a frustrating game. I've seen people try and Let's Play it on YouTube before as well as played it myself. Funny game but not necessarily fun. Good work!

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