Playing Cards at Midnight

We play cards at midnight.

When uncertainties gnaw at stomach. When fear bears down. When sleep is hard to come by. When words don't comfort and anxiety steals peace.

We play cards.

We say little, letting minds be distracted by momentary diversion, using it to push aside nagging thoughts.

We play cards.

To ignore the irrational thinking, the worry. It isn't spiritual, but it is battle, resisting Satan's attempts to take control of our minds. Prayer and reading the Bible are the ultimate weapons of course, and we use them, but honestly some days comfort doesn't come quickly or easily. I think it's because God wants us to endure. How do we grow in patience if it's never tested? How do we learn to hold our ground if we never have to? So instead of lying fitfully in bed, letting our thoughts get away with us, we fill our time in simple activity. In the quietness of the late hour, the moment feels sacred.

We play cards at midnight.

And together we stand against the powers of darkness.