luck envy

Oh gee! I find myself envying the lucky. Especially the lucky folks who really are not as "spiritual" as I am but who aren't necessarily bad people. I guess I'm sorry about my life. Many of the psalms tell us not to envy the evil people because the prosperous evil folks will suffer in the end. But what do we do about basically normal people who just have this wonderful luck flow down into their lives?

I can't wish they "deserved" the luck because if I start doing that then in my mind I'm saying that good should only come to folks who deserve it. Then I'd be blocking blessings from coming to my life because worth would have to be measured. If I can't accept good luck happening to folks who don't deserve it, then why should good luck come to me? So, let luck be full of grace and flow where it will.

And yet, I do kinda feel sad about this kinda thing. Bad luck has come to me and much of the good that has come to me has been out of luck. But so much of it has been earned also. I just have to learn to rejoice with those who rejoice.

The Bible says "let every man be fully convinced in his own heart." What we allow ourself is what is good for us. I've been really wondering about my usage of the word "dang." I use it all the time. But then I heard this sermon about not saying darn because it's like I'm damning myself. I don't know if I believe that and yet...I do feel so unsettled when I use it that I'm trying not to use it any more. (Actually, as Yoda says, Do or do not do. There is no try."

As for luck, I've seen bad luck in some lives which makes me think that there is some kind of demonic assignment in someone's life. I have a friend who said over her son "If it weren't for bad luck he'd have no luck at all."

I'm sitting here listening to an interview on blogtalk radio about luck. I used to believe in good luck a lot more than I used to. It's good to reinforce the notion of good luck. I've often found that when I listen to stuff on believing for good stuff, that good often happens. I only wish it was more of a habit of mine to trust in good. But at least, I'm feeding my luck. I also visit a luck site sometimes. I suspect you know what I mean. Life is magical but I also believe we can train ourselves to feed either doubt or hope, just as we can feed good luck. Some of them are a bit too New Agey and the Christian in me thinks "uhmmm a bit too New Agey." Don't laugh but I don't want to cross over into some flaky semi-demonic mode of mind-over-matter-dealing with demons kind of thing. Yeah, I said don't laugh. But it's the truth... one has to be really discerning about the kind of spiritual teachings one allows into one's mind...even if one is desperate to get mucho bucks. But others fall in well with the kind of faith the Judeo-Christian God would like us to have. Just trying to bring luck my way regarding repairing this house. One has to be soooo careful.

So, what is a Christian supposed to think about luck, fortune, favor? Some Christians don't like using the word "luck." We Christians can be pretty legalistic. We may say we don't believe in luck yet at the same time we often speak so negatively. My mother used to say, "Who knows what will happen? God suffers not. He could make you die and leave the kids alone." Or people talk about "cancer running in their family." And every little conversation we have we get all negative. Jesus said in the day of judgment we will give account of every idle word. So although we say "don't use the word luck" we talk unbelief and despair a whole lot. A whooooole lot. I have to avoid some folks because it's part of the African-American style to talk about the man and what they want to do to us, or to talk about our troubles with foreboding and then20we say, "I just knew this would happen" whenever something bad happens. It's not bad to get into the habit of saying "The Bible says I'm blessed. The Bible says you're blessed. You're favored." Better than saying "good luck."

The other thing is that as Christians we believe words have power to bless and to curse. So God knows what we mean when we say good luck. But at the same time when we say favor and blessed instead of luck we remind the person that God is with them.


Although the King James Version reads:
Genesis 30:11 (King James Version)

11And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

Genesis 30:11

The NIV and other language translations is:
Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" So she named him Gad.
Genesis2030:10-12

But then there's this.
Isaiah 65:11
"But as for you who forsake the LORD and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,
Isaiah 65:10-12

Sure, a rich guy didn't come into my life to marry me when I was young, but I have a good hubby. May wonderful good luck continue to happen to me! -C