The Spirituality of Sudoku
In the last few months I’ve found myself drawn back into the
world of Sudoku. Sudoku is a popular number game, kind of like a numerical
crossword puzzle.
There was a time in life when I was a Sudoku addict of sorts, leaping into each new puzzle and wrestling with it until I came out
victorious or until I tossed it aside in frustration. When I hit a roadblock, I
would try numbers just to see where they’d lead. There was a lot of guessing
involved. It felt great when I was right. Not so much when I’d get to the final
few boxes only to discover something was wrong. Then I’d "X" the whole puzzle and
move on.
This time around my experience with Sudoku has been quite
different. I fill in the boxes as far as I can, and when I arrive at
uncertainly, I pause. Rather than guessing, I wait. If I wait and watch long
enough, the next right step invariably appears. When I can see no way forward,
I pause and put it down. Often when I pick it up a bit later, what was hidden
to my eyes earlier is suddenly clear, and I move forward. Sometimes I have to put
the puzzle aside repeatedly before the next right move becomes evident. And on
those occasions when I get to the end only to discover I made a mistake along
the way, rather than tossing it aside in frustration, I patiently erase the
entire puzzle and begin again. In that way I’ve been able to complete every
Sudoku.
I’ve found my re-engagement with Sudoko to be a surprisingly
spiritual experience. I often pick it up in the morning as I’m entering the
day, or allow myself some time at the end of the day when I’m winding down. I
have it handy when I travel, turning to it on the plane when all electronic
devices need to be off or in airplane mode. I sometimes get on a roll and make
a lot of progress. Just as often I see no way forward, at which point I simply
put it aside and wait rather than forcing it. I’m always surprised and
delighted to pick it up later and suddenly see what has been there all along,
but was hidden from my eyes. And I fill in the next box.
I wonder if it’s a coincidence that my newfound appreciation
for Sudoku—patiently-played—has happened during a time when our synod and
our wider church have been engaged in strategic planning processes. In these
processes we are trying to map out a vision for the next steps of our life
together as this part of Christ’s church we call the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America. Sometimes the steps forward are self-evident. Other times it
gets confusing and messy, with too many possible moves to make and lots of uncertainty
about how everything fits together. It’s tempting to try to force a conclusion.
But the wiser move is to go as far as possible, then wait until the next step
becomes clear.
Sudoku is teaching me about a life of patient faith. In the
puzzle that is life, in the challenge that is our life as the church, there is
much we can see and do, there are steps forward we can take. But in those
moments when the next move becomes unclear, there is wisdom in stopping and
waiting, in putting down our desire to “get it done” and allowing some rest.
And when we re-engage, we often see what was hidden from our eyes earlier. And
then we can take the next faithful step.
Beloved in Christ, it’s my prayer that in your life of
faith and in our life as the church, we may embrace a Sudoku spirituality,
patiently-played. After all, at the end of the day life in all its fullness is
not our puzzle to solve, but God’s gracious gift into which we are led, moment
by moment, step by step.
Wait for the Lord,
Whose day is near,
Wait for the Lord,
Keep watch, take heart.
– from Psalm 27
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