Luck - Lucky Charms Series

I was recently introduced to a new cereal. At least it was new to me. I think ever since I can remember my favorite cereal was frosted shredded wheat. Anyway, one day Amanda (my wife) and I were walking through the grocery store and we get to the cereal aisle and I head for the shredded wheat, but Amanda has a different cereal in mind. She shoves off a few eight year olds that were huddled around one particular cereal and she brings to the shopping cart a box of lucky charms. I told her, “you have to be kidding.” I look down the aisle and I see a child screaming I want “lucky charms,” as the mother quickly whisks the child away. So seeing that commotion I knew I had better get the lucky charms. Now I have never had lucky charms before and to be honest I really wasn’t that excited at the time. So later, Amanda and I are in front of our tv in the evening getting to watch a show, and we decide to have cereal as a snack. Amanda convinces me to act like a child for once and try lucky charms. I couldn’t believe it. It was great! Man… I had been missing out all these years. I highly recommend it as a cereal.

From a very early age we seemed to be shaped and cultured to think highly of this concept of luck. My first kitty when I was eight was named “lucky.” I named her that because while we were walking to see some free kittens I found a penny. It was heads up. Of course we all know that it is good luck to find a penny heads up. So I named her lucky. Ironically, I later trained her to play fetch with me with a lucky rabbit’s foot.

So very early we have this concept of luck. We have probably all seen what things are symbols of good luck: four leaf clovers, a lucky rabbit’s foot, a penny found, horseshoes, crossing your fingers, eating black eyed peas on New Years Eve. And probably have seen things that are bad luck too: breaking a mirror, black cat that cross your path, opening an umbrella indoors, walking under a ladder, spilling salt (reversed by tossing salt over left shoulder.)

Or perhaps we have walked up to someone and they say “wish me luck” and we say, “good luck” or if you are in the on stage theater or music, they say “break a leg” which doesn’t seem to make much sense to me.

Or the opposite is cursing or wishing bad on someone else. Like if you have a snobby friend, you in your head my say, “I hope she falls on stage.”

Whatever it is, at one time or another, we probably have had a brush with luck. Luck is defined as a force that brings good fortune or adversity.

The question is, what is that force? What is this thing we call luck and more importantly what does God say about luck?

We all want good things to happen to us. Even in our roots deep within us we have this concept or idea that there are forces that are with us and there are forces that are against us.

There are several problems with luck that we should be aware of.

1. First, if luck is defined as force that brings good fortune or adversity then which force is it? Sometimes this concept of luck borderlines on belief in the occult. This is terribly displeasing to God because it is idolism. I am talking about things like taroh cards, ouiji boards, magic eight balls, witchcraft, spells, etc.

These things should not be anywhere near us. Even if you don’t believe, we should not come close to dabbling in these things. The enemy uses these things as a foot hold in our spirit. It is like locking all the doors in your house but leaving the back door open with a sign that reads “door is open!” By using these things, it is like we give permission for the enemy access to our hearts. Belief in an unbridled luck is just dangerous.

2. There are people that will exploit luck to their profit or advantage. One place that is good at exploiting luck are casinos. They tell you come and get lucky at the casino and you will win big. Who doesn’t want to win? If it was all based on luck then the casino would take the risk. As it is the casino know well it isn’t luck, but they are willing to expoit our belief in luck for profit.

Take a look at the rabbit’s foot. Somebody made a bunch of money. They say that the only luck that a rabbit’s foot brings is bad luck for the rabbit. Again an exploit for our want of luck.