The Gospel, according to a Nerd: Part 2

I'm not the biggest video game fan, but I still enjoy them from time to time. All those first person shooters, too hard. I can't possibly aim a gun while moving, the joystick is far too sensitive. Too much hassle. But, there are some great games that I love. I like the games that have a long, continuing storyline (which I know fits a lot), but that also have more of a purpose than "kill the bad guys" and more room for improvement and growth. One game that comes to mind is "Castle Crashers" a spoof game you can download off X-Box Live, where you (and up to 3 others) take the roles of knights, mages, or a king and try to save the multiple princesses that have been kidnapped. It's all very goofy, from the animation to the villains, but is highly enjoyable.

Another game, that holds a very special place in my heart, is Pokemon (granted, I've only played Red, Blue, and Yellow, but I'm sure the others are enjoyable as well). You're a poorly pixelated character who runs around the country finding small creatures to capture, then strengthen through fighting other creatures, then using them to fight other creatures in a more structured environment so as to win a prize that, in all actuality, doesn't benefit you whatsoever, but it sure is fun to brag about, and eventually you return to your home with a level 100 Blastoise and, just for fun, walk around the tall grass, find a level 5 Rattata, and blast it away with your Hydro Cannon. But what's neat about these games is the progression. As you work hard (and by work hard I mean killing the bad guys, as in "Castle Crasher", or in Pokemon beating the stuffing out of that stupid Metapod that only knows harden! Why would I want a Pokemon that can't attack!?), you gain experience (or XP), and when you get enough, you level up. A classic quote from my friends while playing "Castle Crashers" was "'Grats on the level up, dawg." Yes, my friends and I were the epitome of cool. Gaining levels is cool: it makes you stronger, you can learn new attacks, and (in Pokemon) at some points you evolve! You become something bigger, stronger, and (usually) cooler looking! And you ditch the dumb cocoon thing and actually turn into a Pokemon that's worth a darn in a battle!
Progression is a part of life. We have to learn and to grow in order to better ourselves as people. We didn't just come here to dwindle our time away, not advancing in anyway. We were given the opportunity to come here to work hard and do the right things, to become better people. We gain experience (XP) as we study, learn, work, and follow commandments. As we gain this XP, we can level up, and become better than we were before! We have the potential to become great, and we do this through hard work. Nothing comes for free, nothing comes easy. Everything that's worth having is worth working for. And working hard. We have to show the Lord that we are willing to earn what things He will give us, and we have to show faith that He will provide them. Often times, we're faced with situations where we know what we want the end goal to be, but we can't be sure it's going to happen. Anything is possible with the Lord, so we just need to go for it, having complete trust in the Lord, and knowing that everything will work out for the best. As we work hard, and gain that experience, we learn new skills, we become stronger in the face of adversity and temptations, and we can become something better and stronger (though not necessarily cooler looking) than we were before. We must all progress to make this life what we want.