What Luck?

Now that it's the month of March, that means that many of us will be celebrating St. Paddy's Day. The luck of the Irish and all that. So that got me thinking... 

If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all. —Booker T. Jones

When it comes to playing card games, I'm usually the one with the highest score. Which translates…last place. Some folks have all the luck when it comes to drawing the right card at the right time. Others of us don't.

Is life just luck and happenchance? Or is there more to it than that?

Some people fall into their careers naturally. Others of us flounder around and can't seem to find the right path. Does that have to do with luck or something else altogether?

According to Serena Williams she believes it is all about hard work. Luck has nothing to do with it, because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come.

Does it really boil down to hard work? I know folks that work hard, some working more than one job, and they still can't make ends meet. That doesn't seem lucky at all.

Then I stumbled upon this quote…

"I've found that what most people call luck is often little more than raw talent combined with the ability to make the most of opportunities." ―Timothy Zahn

That makes sense. But, is it just raw talent and the ability to make things happen that brings good things in our path?

According to God's word when we…

Trust God from the bottom of our hearts;
and don't try to figure out everything on our own.
If we listen for God's voice in everything we do, everywhere we go;
he's the one who will keep us on track. —Proverbs 3:5-6

Yes, there are folks who seem to get lucky. But life is not just luck and happenstance. And it's not just about hard work either. If you are paying attention to those Holy Spirit nudges along life's way, if you are seeking God's purpose for your life, and asking him to show you where to go, He will direct you.

Take Nicole Duclos, for instance. She sensed those nudging's, sought God's heart for her life, and she is leaving Heart Matters Publishing to seek her master's degree in Counseling. We are so excited for her, although we will dearly miss her spirit-filled poetry.

It wasn't luck that those thoughts were planted in her heart. It wasn't hard work, although she is now hard at work in school. It wasn't raw talent and the ability to make things happen, although she certainly is talented and had to fill out the application forms to go to school. It was God opening the doors and her willingness to walk through.

Luck has a way of evaporating when you lean on it. ―Brandon Mull