Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, August 14, 2026
Earlier this week, outside a barbershop, I noticed this chess game set up. In college I played chess just enough to hold my own (but not against a good player), so as I studied the pieces above, I could tell that the game was in its early stages.
White, I could tell, had opened by moving the king’s pawn out a couple of spaces, a standard opening. Black then cautiously moved a pawn one space. White had then moved his knight into play. Black had moved another pawn out, opening up a route for a bishop. So far a fairly ordinary, cautious couple of openings, which I had used back in the day.
But I glanced left and right and saw no players. The game had started well, but the human minds behind the moves had departed. Maybe a haircut opportunity had arisen for one, or the other may have remembered an appointment.
In Galatians 5, Paul is laboring with some Christians who were carefully instructed that Jesus has paid for our sins with His death, and that nothing we can do to enhance our chances at salvations. But they were falling back into legalism. So Paul told them:
Galatians 5:7: You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
In other words, Galatians, you were following God’s rules for the game, but all of a sudden you’d given up! (If you read the rest of the chapter, you’ll find the inspired solution to behaving well, from the inside out.)
“Have patience,” Paul says, “Because salvation was never a game you could win by crafty piece-movement. The Holy Spirit is the one who changes you.
For more Bible facts about patience and how to get it, click this link:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/patience