Do you ever play Solitaire? I have an app with 10 varieties of the game. Certain ones I don’t bother with as skill doesn’t seem to be involved—just luck of the draw!

I play several games each day. But as I play, I’ve seen a pattern. I start off well with the cards lining up. I feel hopeful that maybe this will be a winning hand. But I need more cards, so select another deal. The lovely patterns that formed initially are now covered with cards that don’t fit. What’s more, they block the way for cards that would fit.

Isn’t that just like life? We’re headed in a direction and the way ahead looks clear. Then something gets in the way, and our plans change or stop. Maybe that “something” is an illness, or a termination notice, an expected bill, or an accident.

Sometimes I can find a way around it. But more often, I’ve had to change direction or rethink my goals. In the worst-case scenario, I must throw in the towel and start over. That usually comes with the question, “Have I done all I could?” At some point, the options run out and changing course is the only option.

Changing course is much easier in Solitaire. I just swipe and start a new game or a different game. With life, those choices are much harder. Why does that happen? Why can’t life be predictable?

If we won every game, it would be boring, and we would stop playing. In life, we may be seeking the wrong way, and the block helps us move to a different, and hopefully more productive path. We value those triumphs more when there is a background of failure. Too many failures and we become discouraged. Is there a different way to play this game? Have we really tried all the options? Maybe. Maybe not. And so it is with life.