Each year on March 17th, we celebrate a funny little holiday called St. Patrick’s Day. Historically, St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. According to legend, St. Patrick rid Ireland of snakes and was regarded as a hero to the Irish people. St. Patrick’s Day became a feast day in the Catholic Church in the 1500’s. Today, St. Patrick’s day is synonymous with leprechauns, green beer, and lucky clovers.
St. Patrick’s Day is also known for being synonymous with luck. Lucky clovers, rainbows, and pots of gold make-up the St. Patrick’s Day imagery, but also makes me think…
Are we ever truly lucky, or are we blessed?
Lucky and blessed are two words that in our common culture are used sometimes interchangeably. However, if we dive deeper, they really truly mean different things.
To me, luck means …
a force that brings good fortune. An event in your life that seems to beat the odds. You found a 20 dollar bill on the sidewalk, you ran into a person that told you about an opportunity, etc.
Even in bad situations many of us refer to “Luck” saving us from it being worse. “It was just luck that the car accident was not so much worse”…
To me, blessed means…
bringing pleasure, contentment, or good fortune. We view blessings as a gift from a divine power. And we invoke blessing in both bad and good situations. “Bless your heart”. “ It was a blessing that accident was not much worse.”
A new baby is “blessed” event.
How can we tackle the difference? It is really a matter of perspective.
Being lucky is a magical event without explanation. Blessed gives the event or situation a miraculous otherworldly feel. Adding a spiritual fundamental component.
The difference lies in how we look at the situation. What if you won the lottery. Are you lucky? What if you have been praying for resolutions to a money problem and you win the lottery? Are you blessed?
Many years ago I was working in a medical office and I received a call from one of the largest medical companies in the world. They were given my name for a medical sales position. After many interviews, I was given a job that changed my career and my life. I never found out how they got my name. Was it a stroke of luck? Or was it a blessing from the heavens above?
Many years ago, I was a young Mom with three little ones and my husband had lost his job. We could not afford a gallon of milk. I was in the grocery store trying to buy eggs. It turns out the eggs were on a coupon and I had a dollar left over. Not enough to buy milk but enough to buy a scratch-off lottery ticket. Not something I ever did. At that moment I just knew I should. I got out to my car, scratched and won 500 dollars. I went back in and bought a cart full of groceries. Was that divine intervention or was that my lucky day?
In conclusion, the difference between “lucky” and “blessed” is how you believe God is working in your life.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
What do you think about being lucky versus being blessed? Where have you seen the difference in your life? Or, do you disagree completely? Are lucky and blessed the same? How?
I would love to hear your thoughts and start this dialogue with you.
Perspective is an important element in Forgiveness. To read more about forgiveness, read the Forgiveness Solution! Now available on Amazon!
