I'm Not Lucky

I remember it as if it were yesterday; it was an email to an old friend that I ended with “Good Luck… No scratch that, I don’t believe in luck, Be Blessed!” It was one of many times my use of words and their importance was brought to my attention.  After that email, that sort of became my saying, but I never truly understood the power and truth in that statement until recently.    

Luck -success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions. The force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person’s life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities.

Blessed -of or enjoying happiness; specifically: enjoying the bliss of heaven. Pleasure, contentment or good fortune.

Those definitions really made me think. I remember saying  “I’m not lucky” “You’re so lucky” and “Good Luck”.  But the truth of the matter is, I’m not lucky! I’m not one of those people that just stumble upon fortunes or one of those people that know what to say to get ahead.  I’m the person that never gets a full refund, the one that buy things at full price and the next day it goes on sale, I’m the one that never seems to get a break when looking with the human eye.  

As I grow in Christ I’ve learned a new word called favor and favor is defined as an attitude of approval or liking.  A gracious, friendly, or obliging act that is freely granted. Something granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for compensation; a kind act.  So something I’ve realized about myself is I’m not lucky BUT I do have God’s favor and having God’s favor allows me to be blessed..which means I enjoy the bliss of heaven and have good fortune, contentment and pleasure. I may not be the lucky one that walks into great opportunities but I AM the one that God sets things aside for personally. I’m the one that God gives the knowledge and strength to endure any situation so that when the going gets tuff I don’t rely on luck to make it through. I’m the one that knows what God gives, no man can take away!  Which means.. what’s for me and given to me, by way of blessings and favor can NOT be taken by luck and happenstance.  The only thing that can alter my outcome is the way I choose to handle the situations that I’m faced with.

Life and death truly are in the power of the tongue; when I took luck out of my vocabulary and replaced it with blessed, I subconsciously took the restraints of luck off and replaced that with blessings, which released a whole new world full of possibilities. 

So today my voices are asking you to leave luck to people who don’t believe in free will and the ability to make one’s own decision. Leave luck to those who don’t believe in God’s favor and blessings.  Do you want your success or failure to be left up to chance? Do you want your circumstances to be dictated by things against your will and God’s desire for your life? 

Remember with God all roads lead to success, some just take longer dependent on the way you handle the situations your faced with.

Until Next Time…

Be Blessed

No Destination is Set in Stone

A few years ago I was blessed with a great job opportunity that I was very thankful for, it was great pay & great benefits. It allowed me to provide for myself, and my family in a way that I had only previously dreamed about.  It opened my mind to something greater than I ever imagined possible at my age and living in Louisiana.  In the beginning I tried to stay grounded and always give thanks for the blessing that I was experiencing with this job, but over time it was as if I forgot about what was truly important.  The longer I worked there, the more I lost sight of exactly how valuable that experience was.  I allowed the actions of others to overcome me and make me someone that I did not want to be.  I began to defend myself in ways that I never had before. When I started this job I was really mild mannered and didn’t say much unless it was absolutely necessary, before leaving this job I was very outspoken, but not necessarily in a good way.  There were many people who felt that I didn’t deserve the job and I took it upon myself to start voicing my opinion about how I deserved the job just as much as anyone else, because I had time in this field and education.  I can look back and realize now that this wasn’t a battle for me to fight and it wasn’t my place to say those things.  I was supposed to continue to give God the glory and let my blessings speak for themselves and allow others to interpret my blessings however they saw fit.

When I was laid off from this job I can honestly say I didn’t know what to feel.  I had so many emotions going on.  I was angry, hurt, disappointed, confused and lets not forget I was going to be broke! I couldn’t understand why God allowed me to lose my job and walk away with nothing.  Out of everyone there, why me? I re-evaluated that time of my life over and over again trying to figure out where I went wrong and I kept coming up short…until recently.  

I can now clearly see how that job lead to a dead end road. I took too many wrong turns and allowed the wrong scenery to catch my attention.  Its now obvious to me how that time in my life made me who I am now.  I am no longer a push over, but I now know when to speak.  I TRY not to fight my own battles, because they aren’t mine to fight. I’m more mindful about the people I trust and if I happen to trust someone that doesn’t deserve such an honor, I take it for what it is and move on. No explanation needed, no love lost.  I view it as another lesson… I have the understanding to review my mistakes and form a What-Not-To-Do-List…and believe me it comes in handy!

This is why I say, “my blessings were NOT a mistake and neither were my disappointments! God knows exactly what I need, in order to be who he wants me to be!” When it seems as if God has allowed your blessings to be taken away from you… he hasn’t. He allows things to happen to us, not to hurt us or stumble us, but to humble us and build us.  God will allow you to experience little blessings to test your growth…see, its up to you if those little blessings become major blessings.  It’s all about how you handle what you’re being given at that time.  Everyone’s life is mapped out, and on the map there are multiple destinations and multiple paths.  The paths you choose dictate your next stop in life and what happens along the way.  But, be mindful, because the pit stops you make in life have the power to adjust your destination.  No destination is set in stone; one wrong turn puts you on a completely different path!  

So today my voices are saying:  When things are going good in your life remember to give God thanks. Otherwise, God may give you a reason to call on him.

There is no such thing as a Final Destination…The journey of life is traveled along endless roads, full of possibilities!

Until Next Time…