Do you ever have a lucky break? An opportunity that you did not see coming that blows you away and promotes you far beyond your expectations?!
Or maybe it’s not a far and away lucky break, maybe it’s just something simple – maybe you are going to the grocery store and as you pull in you notice that you’ll have to park far from the doors, as the parking lot is so full. But luckily, it happens that people who were there ahead of you in one of the first parking spaces, are ready to leave!
Do you believe in luck? Personally, I don’t.
There is a saying along the lines that luck is where preparation and opportunity come together.
And I think that is an excellent description. I think that is accurate. I don’t believe that there is any such thing as luck – a random moment that promotes you and takes you further.
Though I will say that sometimes things that happen, seem to have absolutely no explanation as to why they can possibly occur, when someone goes out of their way to be kind, or someone recommends you, and you just ponder “how did this even come back to me? I’m not even in the picture to begin with and yet, somehow I am brought to light and greatly blessed by it!”
But that isn’t luck. That is something called favor.
Favor
God gives favor to His people. He gives it incredibly generously. It is God’s favor that opens the parking space near the store in town and it is God’s favor that promotes you and blesses you and even causes others to want to bless you!
God’s favor is abundant and unending! He loves blessing us again and again! He loves showing us favor!
How can we possibly be worthy of His favor? Truth is, we will never, ever be worthy of God’s love. But this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t spend our lives trying to do our very best to please Him!
A Father and His child
If you have children, or have witnessed the joy of children in another, you know that a godly parent’s delight is in treating those children well.
Perhaps a child wants something from the store but they don’t have the resources to purchase it. Many, many parents would go out of their way to purchase the item for their child so that their child can have it. Or how many movies have you seen where the parent wants to take responsibility for the child’s actions to protect and help the child? You’ve probably seen this in real life too.
Parents are to their children what God is to His people. He wants to protect us. He wants to bless us with gifts, love, mercy and opportunities! And He wants to promote us to help us be all that we can be! He is such a good Father!
And it is our duty to be good children and not take advantage of the love and provision that our parents and God so generously bless us with!
A good child does their best to be all they can be so that the parents in return can have the blessing of a child who honors them. Children have a responsibility to live life appropriately so that their parents and God will be recognized as excellent life guides.
What do you admire?
When I look around me, it is the people who are enthusiastic, confident, kind, helpful, and generous that I admire! I can’t help but want to take notes and seek to be a little more like them! I applaud their attitude and the image that they give me of where they came from. And that is what I want others to see in me!
In this society it is so often applauded to be self-absorbed, quiet, withdrawn and not look outside your own comfort – to be an introvert. But the truth of the matter is, those who I admire live boldly, unapologetically! They are enthusiastic and kind. No, you don’t have to be the boldest and loudest person to not be considered an introvert. You simply must purposefully and enthusiastically pursue the life that God has blessed you with!
God’s favor is extremely special – just as a parent’s is towards their child. God’s favor will take you miles past the baby steps that you can make on your own. The thought of this is so exciting! And I’ve gotten to witness this blessing of favor, this remarkable, some might say lucky, favor that God gives!
High expectations
Let me encourage you to expect this favor from God. Expect that wonderful things will happen for you, because He loves to bless us!
A child whose parents are eager to give and bless them, with both gifts and opportunities, does not sit around and think, “Ooh, I hope they plan to be nice to me this time around…” The child does not live in a constant concern of whether or not they will be fed again this meal or whether or not they will be allowed to sleep in their room again tonight.
A child to whom favor is shown is protected and loved. That child is confident in who their parents are and in whom that allows the child to be.
And this is so true of the relationship that God has with His people! God protects us and loves us and blesses us! And to expect anything less from Him is not living in faith. It is not living favor-minded.
Think higher thoughts
So let me just encourage and inspire you to think favor-minded thoughts. Not what the world would have you think, “if things work out” or “if you get lucky“. But rather, think God-sized thoughts! “God has always blessed and protected me!” “God has placed this dream and this plan in my heart and He will bring it to fruition or He will change it because God’s plans are perfect!”
God’s plans are perfect. Let that sink in for a moment. He is the only perfect thing in life! And to be able to put your faith in something unerringly perfect is pretty phenomenal! And why you would wonder whether or not you can put your faith in Him is beyond me!
I know that we are human – and I falter too. I think, “ooh, this will work well if ___…” But you know what, let’s get rid of the “ifs” in life! Let’s live favor-minded and allow God to bless us in God-sized ways! Let us not limit our thinking based on our own human limitations! Let us more look at what God has planned for us and thrive in the mentality that He is perfect, His plans are perfect and He is so, so good!
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. Do you have something to share?! I’d love to hear from you! Either post a comment below or send me an email at hope@theamericanlady.com.