This morning I was talking with my new friend Nigel.
Again, we were at Central Methodist Church with a few other volunteers.
Nigel and I started talking about chess.
I told him about a long, slow game I’ve been playing online.
He asked, “Are you still looking for the next move?”
I told him no.
And I meant it.
What I didn’t get to explain to him was this:
There’s a term in chess, zugzwang.
It means you're forced to move,
but every move makes things worse.
You can't skip your turn.
You can't sit still.
You have to act,
and all your options hurt.
In chess, that's game over.
In life, it can feel the same:
Stuck.
Pressured.
Paralyzed.
- Say something? Risk Everything.
- Stay quiet? Risk Everything.
- Give Up? Risk Everything.
- Push through? Risk Everything.
No good move.
No clean escape.
But life isn’t chess.
In chess, the clock counts down.
Time works against you.
But in life...
Time helps you.
Time gives space.
Time brings clarity.
Time reveals what fear covers up.
You give yourself a recess.
Stand up from the table.
Continue your life and purpose...
While the opps are sitting in the chair like this
So if you feel trapped,
if every option looks bad,
don't rush.
Don't act just to feel in control.
Sometimes not moving is the smartest move.
Let it breathe.
Let the pressure settle.
Let the fear make its move first.
That’s not weakness.
That’s control.
Zugzwang is panic.
It’s the need to do...
something,
anything,
to make the tension go away.
But the wise don’t flinch.
They wait, on purpose.
Not out of fear, but out of trust.
It’s the pause before Jesus answered Pilate.
It’s the rope that held Odysseus to the mast.
It’s the moment before the move.
Everything will scream:
“Act now, or you’ll lose.”
But you smirk anyway, (and audibly laugh out loud)
because sometimes the only way to win...
is to hold your ground and let time do its work.
The fool reacts.
The wise wait.
The fool fills silence.
The wise listen.
The fool moves in fear.
The wise move when it’s time.
What the question is not:
What do I do?
What action should I take?
How do I accomplish my desires?
The question is:
Who is reacting?
Who is filling the silence?
Who still making moves?
The game?
It was over before it even started.
Trust built in the process.
Not because you moved, but because you didn't.
Unstoppable force meet Immovable object.
So if you’re feeling stuck,
and every path looks painful.
You need wait for seeds to take root.
Don’t fold.
Don’t flee.
Don’t force.
Don't react.
Hold the line.
That's what not giving up looks like.
Wait for the right moment.
And when it comes,
Cut the rope.
And move like thunder.