Blessings vs. Luck

Blessings.  They are gifts from God to us.  St. Patrick's Day seems to highlight "luck", but what do you think about "blessings"?

A definition of luck is: "good fortune: success that seems to happen by chance."  On contrast, a definition of blessing is "God's help: help believed to come from God or another deity".  What would you rather have?  Chance, or the perfect timing of God?

God's help.  What does that mean?  Well, ok, obviously it means "help", but what kind?  Sometimes we think that only what we think to be good things are from God, and all the "bad" things aren't from Him.  God wouldn't allow the bad things to happen, right?  Wrong.  God allows all things to happen.  Of course He wants what is best, but sometimes we just don't see how the bad things are part of God's good plan.  Just think, God allowed His own Son to die for us.  To DIE.  When this happened, many people didn't know what to do.  They thought that was it.  But it wasn't.  God had a WONDERFUL plan.  Jesus raised from the dead on the third day.  He died, but rose again to set us free.    


Laura Story has just written a beautiful song called "Blessings".  Here is the chorus:


Cuz what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know you’re near
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?


We may not understand why things happen, but sometimes they bring us closer to God.  (Please understand that it's not that God is not able to stop bad things - HE MOST CERTAINLY IS - He has a plan and we sometimes just have to wait to see what it is).  God LOVES us so, so, so (etc.) much and is always near to help us through the hard times.  He totally understands whatever you go through.


So, can we maybe think of hardships as blessings?  This can be quite challenging.  Luck is defined as "good fortune."  Blessing are defined as "God's help."  God knows what's best for us.  He wants us to draw close to Him and love Him and live our lives for Him.  He will help us to be the people He made us to be - even if it means going through some hard times.  He is there every second of the way.

And we know that in all things God works

for the good of those who love him, 

who have been called according to his purspose. 

~Romans 8:28