Jesus vs. Luck

I always feel guilty every time the words "Good Luck" leave my lips. In fact, I now am so aware of it that I rarely do it anymore. You are probably thinking "What is the big deal? Everyone else says it. Why don't we just say it too?" You might be right. It might not be a huge deal, but on the other hand, it might be bigger than you think. Let me ask you this question, what exactly are you saying when you say "Good Luck"?

Most people know that right before my wife left to bring our newest son, Heath, home, we took advantage of moving into the parsonage at the church where I am assistant/youth pastor. It was a hectic time indeed. Not only was my wife and her sister preparing to make the final trip to Moscow for this adoption, but we also were moving the stuff out of our beautiful 2,700 sq. ft home in Sango. You never realize how much junk you accumulate until its time to move!

On top of all that was the hardest part of all......leaving that home vacant while we waited for it to sell. Going from our home in Sango to the parsonage was about a 50% cut in square footage. With three small kids, that is not exactly what any person in their right mind would want to do. However, as God's children, He oftentimes asks us to make sacrifices for Himself, His Kingdom, and His Glory, so that's what we did. After all, were it not for that move, I wouldn't have this awesome story to tell you!

After about 3 months of having our house on the market, we moved out. During that 3 month period of time, every other house in our neighborhood that was for sell was sold and we never even got an offer. People kept telling me things like "maybe you will get lucky soon and sell it," "Good luck selling your house," "Now is just not a great time to sell a house, but good luck with it," etc. Don't misunderstand, I appreciate those people saying that and I even know what they meant by it. The question is do we really know what we are communicating to others and ourself when we say things like that?

I refused to leave it up to luck or chance. Daily I would approach the throne of grace to ask God, and sometimes beg God, to send us a buyer for our house. He did. And it had nothing to do with luck. It had everything to do with God.

After praying for weeks about it, God began to deal with me about selling my landscaping business. I didn't want to because it was my safety net. If ministry didn't work out, I could always fall back on it to support my family and give me a job. (Keep in mind that statistics show only 1 in 20 pastors that begin in ministry retire from it. The other 19 either take breaks or leave it all together.) 

So there I was fighting against God. I finally surrendered. I talked with my brother-in-law about buying it. Over a period of about a month we worked out a deal. In the deal, I told him I would keep the company through September. So on October 1 he took over. The company was no longer Carney Lawn Care. It became iMow. I was not the owner, Will was.

That very same day, October 1, we got the very first offer on our house after five months on the market. We went back and forth a few times countering the offer. So two days after the offer and the business not being mine, we had a contract. Then, on October 31 we closed on the house. It's gone. And it wasn't luck, it was God.

That's a personal and very real story in my life. It's one of the biggest ever in my life. It's also one of the clearest to me that proves there is no luck and there are no coincidences. I don't know what that looks like in your life. Maybe it was a job, a raise, a relationship mended, but whatever it was, it wasn't luck. Luck is a nonexistent, false power. It is an empty, worthless hope.  

When you say "good luck" to someone, you are really saying: "I don't trust God." "I don't know if God has a plan." "I don't know if God will take care of you." God is not sovereign." As believers, these really aren't ideas that we want to be spreading or communicating, even if it is by accident.

Luck is chance. Luck is uncertain. Luck is indefinite. Luck changes. However, God never changes. He is faithful, loving, and sovereign. His promises are true. We never have to wonder "if," we only sometimes wonder "when."

We aren't lucky to have a Savior. We aren't lucky when we get an opportunity to share the gospel or lead someone to Christ. We aren't lucky to have food on our table. We aren't lucky when we go outside and our car starts. I wasn't lucky to sell my house. We are blessed by a perfect, holy, and faithful God.

Let me remind you Christian, we do not believe in luck. Next time you wish someone "good luck," think about what you are saying.

I'll take Jesus over luck any day.