Have you ever cheated on anything? I dare say most of has us have a time or two. But as for me, I cheated at cards.
Did you think of a card game like poker when I said that? That’s what I would’ve thought too. In my last article “Speechless.” I talked about how my dad liked to watch “Star Trek” when I was kid. Well, he also liked to watch “Gun Smoke.” I remember seeing cowboys and men in fancy coats sitting around a round table in Miss Kitty’ saloon while playing poker. Of course. someone would always yell: “You’re cheatin’!” Then the table was toppled over as the guns came out and the fist fights started. But that’s not what I did.
When Mamaw Holbert babysat me, she would get out her deck of Old Maid. Just in case you’re not familiar with the game, the player stuck with the Old Maid card at the end loses. There was this one time when Mamaw and I were playing and I kept getting stuck with the Old Maid card. I don’t know how many games we played, but I kept pulling it out of Mamaw’s hand of cards. While we were playing, the phone rang. Back in those days, everybody still had a landline. She laid her cards down on the table before she walked away. I didn’t have the Old Maid card, so I reasoned it had to be in her hand. I knew there was only one thing to do and I needed to do it before she came back from the phone call. I quickly picked up her cards and found the Old Maid one. When I did, I bent it at the corner. To be honest, I was rather proud of myself because I had just found a way not to lose another game.
Of course, I didn’t tell Mamaw what I had done and she didn’t notice at first. She became suspicious when I no longer picked the Old Maid card. When there were only a few cards left in her hand, she realized I had bent the card at the corner. Let’s just say she wasn’t a happy camper. She wasn’t mad as she was disappointed in what I had done. “You don’t really win when you cheat. It’s not the same.” I offered to unbend it, to which she replied: “You can’t undo what you did.” We never played that game again.
Now, I have Microsoft games on my computer. My favorite one is a variation of Solitaire: Tri Peaks. I usually play it to help clear my mind when I’m writing. This one day, I had pulled it up when I heard our dog Roxy hit the door. So, I got up to let her back inside. When I sat back down at my desk, I noticed something odd on the screen. One of the cards had a golden glow to it. I realized that if you don’t pick a card withing a certain amount of time, then the computer will highlight which one next to select. But did that pick lead to a winning game? So, I decided to test my theory. By waiting on the computer to highlight the cards, I won all of my Tri Peak games. I cleared over 10 boards before I stopped. At first, I was so excited. It was as if I had been let in on a secret. Then I remembered Mamaw Holbert’s words. I hadn’t really won anything. All I had accomplished was waiting on the computer to show me what to do. That was it. Then I had another huge realization.
“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21 KJV
Instead of guessing and picking the cards that lead to a loss, I had to wait on the computer to show me the cards I needed to choose in order to win. It’s the same with the Lord in that we need to follow His leads and wait on His timing instead of our own. If we do that, then it all works out for the best in His plan for us.
Before I wrap this up, I want to say that Mamaw Holbert was a woman of integrity and she wanted the same for me. So, if we’re ever playing a game and you accuse me of cheatin’, I’m just gonna say: “Nope. Mamaw Holbert wouldn’t have liked that.”

Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.