“There’s no such thing as luck!”
I stared dumbfoundedly at my cousin. Disbelief etched on my face at what he just said. I had simply wished him good luck as I’d done many times with countless other people. It’s my go-to cheer. It’s short, sweet and to the point. What on earth could be wrong with it?
God determines our fate
My cousin explained that a Christian’s fate is determined by God and not luck. Okay, he may have a good point – although he totally ruined the phrase “Good luck” for me.
As a follower of Christ, it’s true I don’t believe in happenstance. My life isn’t like a leaf blown wildly by the wind. All my steps are ordained by God. They are not at the mercy of chance or the universe (Proverbs 16:9).
That doesn’t mean I go through life aimlessly. I have goals but I don’t hold on to them too tightly because I know God’s plans for me are so much better than my own. My desire is to be all that God’s created me to be.
The borrower versus the buyer
I see God guiding me in so many parts of my life. Even inconsequential aspects like the books I choose to read. Lately, it’s been uncanny how spot-on they’ve been. Bizarrely so, considering I’ve been choosing my reading material randomly.
Generally, I read to either gain knowledge or for entertainment but this time my goal was to simply read the treasure trove of books we’ve accumulated – I use the term ‘we’ loosely since I had nothing to do with it. We have way too many books in our house. And they live EVERYWHERE – except in the bathrooms.
I personally never buy books unless I love them. As a general rule, I am a book borrower who gets all my books from the library.
My husband is of a different mindset: He’s a book buyer. He buys all the books he reads. If only that was the end of the story but it isn’t. He also receives books as gifts – most of them he hasn’t read. As a bookworm, an unread book is the worst tragedy to befall the written word. That’s why I’ve made the decision to read all those unread books – not sure if I will read them ALL but I’ll definitely go through some of them.
Yet even in this trivial goal, God’s directed my steps. Every book I’ve read has been applicable to my current season of life and each one has built upon the other, as if I’d planned it. Some would call it a coincidence. Some would call it luck. I see it as neither. I call it providence.
What I’ve learned
I guess after some reflection, my cousin was right after all. Who needs luck when we have God? Divine assurance is so much better than chance and uncertainty.
So for all those who need an extra boost of encouragement, I pray that God be with you.
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Psalms 37:23-24