The WORDLE Parable I

I remember having seen them for some time—the Facebook posts where people shared a mysterious set of yellow and green squares. I had no idea what it signified.

When two of my daughters were visiting, I asked them what they knew about it. It seemed like an auspicious time to try it out since they were available to help with the acclimatization. My journal says the first game was June 9; it also states that my first loss was 10 days later.

Observing the statistics after that first loss, I noticed that my success percentage had taken a serious dive. As I have played every day since, that less-than-100% status has kind of bugged me.

With continued effort, the percentage has slowly bumped up a notch or two. But it soon occurred to me that, as diligent as I am and as hard as I try to maintain my current streak of wins, I will never again be able to attain 100%. And I feel a bit of desperation about that.

Is this not a metaphor for our mortal condition? Before each of us came to earth, I’m sure we were gung-ho about performing well in this new realm of experience. However, inevitably, each of us made some kind of a mistake along the way and lost our 100% status. And if it weren’t for the loving atonement of our Savior, we would have been doomed forever to the ranks of failure.

Can He erase our mistakes from the record? I’m not sure. Perhaps it is important that they remain as a reminder to us of lessons learned. I do know that, if we fully repent of our sins, it is promised that He and the Father will remember them no more. Interesting. Is that a choice on Their parts? (A visiting general authority once commented, Isn’t it amazing that the most powerful, the most omniscient, the wisest and smartest Being in our realm of awareness will choose to forget the sins for which His Son paid the price on the condition of our repenting and changing our lives?)

All of those mechanics pale in importance to one fact. We have the promise that the grace of the Father and the Son will ultimately fill that performance gap. All we have to do is remain faithful—stay on the covenant path and strive consistently to become more like our Father and Older Brother.

Immediately after putting this idea to paper, I had a string of 6/6 near failures. I have reassured myself that ultimate success is more important than the percentage statistics. But that is only a comfort measure. I wonder what we will think if we are able to look back and see the percentages in our daily struggles—how close we came to losing and what it was that helped us win. Or, more darkly, what mess of pottage eventually pushed us over the edge.

Just a few thoughts to help me (and maybe you) ponder a little more what we really want out of this critical Second Act of the eternal play. Onward and upward, fellow travelers!