There are things that occur in our lives from time to time that arrest our attention. These events are not like the usual events. It may be finding something pleasing for which you had not been looking. Things that benefit you in some way that appear to have happened by chance. Or it could be talking to a friend who says something that is exactly what you needed to hear, but the person speaking was completely unaware of your situation. Or maybe you were thinking of your friend and right at that moment they texted you a message. Sometimes these things are referred to as coincidences whereby two seemingly unrelated events diverge into one meaning such as running into a person that has been on your mind or thinking about something you need and finding it on sale. Whatever you choose to call these happenings, there appears to be something behind it. It is what is behind it that is worth investigating further. Is it serendipity, synchronicity or a coincidence, or is it something more?
Not too long ago I had such an experience. I had been recently laid off by my employer and found myself unemployed at the ripe old age of 63. As I considered my situation in more detail, I realized I really did not enjoy my former career in healthcare administration. It was something I sort of fell into years ago and built upon as time went by. It was a very safe field and one that would likely always be in demand, but it wasn’t something I was ever really interested in. Each time I prayed about it, I told God that it wasn’t something I liked, but I would do it if I needed to for employment’s sake. Then a short while later I told one of my oldest friends that I got laid off and was job seeking. When he asked how was my progress, I told him I never really liked the field and was not sure I wanted to continue in it, unless I had to. He was shocked by that and went on to tell me he was building a new business in the self development field that offered an opportunity for people to learn how to change their thoughts and, in effect, reprogram their thinking using an AI based tool built on identifying people’s life purpose and highest values. I could hardly believe it. For years and years I had been fascinated by the effect people’s thoughts had on their lives and how by changing their thinking people could completely revolutionize their lives. I write a weekly blog about it. I wrote a book about it. Well, that led to hours of conversations about the one thing I was most passionate about. Fast forward a couple of weeks and now I have plans to begin working with my friend in the upcoming launch of his new business in a field I absolutely love. What are the chances that I would talk with an old friend about my situation; that he would have a business he was developing in the field I love most; and that we would come back together after all these years? Serendipity? Synchronicity? Coincidence? I don’t think so.
It has been my experience that people typically try to find explanations for the things they do not understand. One example is something folks call luck. Luck is a sort of catch-all explanation for unexpected results. Someone might describe my aforementioned story as having good luck like when you win some money at the casino or win a prize at work. Luck being the universal cause for unexpected good fortune. Then there is bad luck defined as unexpected misfortune. But, is there such a thing as luck and if so how can it be understood? The dictionary defines it as that which happens by chance. When you look up “chance” it says, “see luck.” I trust you see the conundrum. In reality, there is no such thing as luck. Things do not happen for random reasons or by happenstance. There is, as you would expect in an ordered universe, always a reason or a cause. It’s just like when people exclaim, “things always happen for a reason.” It is absolutely true that things always happen for a reason, but the missing piece is that things do not always happen for a good reason! The true causes can always be traced back to the spiritual realm where good comes from good and bad comes from bad. Good is incapable of bad and bad is incapable of good. Accordingly, there is no such thing as a coincidence in the sense we understand it. A coincidence simply refers to two events occurring where their paths intersect. There is nothing random about it. Instead it serves to get our attention; to show us there is more to life than meets the eye. The “more” to life is what is worth discovering. There is a distinct and real goodness behind this life that is always seeking our good, our blessing, our happiness. This goodness comes from God. Yet He never forces Himself upon us, but rather offers us opportunities to discover more, if we really want to know. He sees all and knows all. He knows your future and mine and as such always plans ahead for us. The coincidence you just experienced or the good fortune you may have realized is the Master’s plan being evidenced in your life. Investigate it further. Ask questions. Seek in order to find. It just may be something wonderful you have yet to discover.
In a just and perfectly ordered universe, there will always be causes behind the things that happen to us. In terms of good things, God is trying to get your attention. How many times a new person has attended our Christian fellowship or for that matter a regular and exclaimed that the teaching seemed to have been specifically designed just for them. Well it was designed specifically for them with God working in the teacher to meet the needs. God is always seeking to get our attention because He has good things to give us. He wants the best for us in every situation of life. And, He continues to reach out and bring things to our conscious awareness until we begin to respond. Wouldn’t you like to live your life finding God’s blessings as opposed to waiting for luck and coincidences to happen? Wouldn’t you like to experience serendipity on a regular basis? Wouldn’t you prefer for God to meet your need rather than exhausting yourself trying to figure it out on your own? The good life is already here and is looking for you. Pay attention.
Just some good thoughts.
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