DAY 37...Good Luck? Bad Luck? Who Knows?
"And we know that all things work together for good to those that love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28
Sometimes it just seems like you cannot catch a break. There's a saying, "When it rains, it pours." That means that when things go bad, it goes very bad. In those times of defeat it's easy to fall into a state of worthlessness or total frustration. These frustrations can spiral us into a place where bad habits come back or are accentuated. When a smoker is stressed, they often pick up a cigarette. When a alcoholic's life get's difficult, it is common for them to turn to the bottle. When someone who is struggling with the habit of watching porn gets stressed, it is more likely he will turn to porn.
When it seems like things are going really bad, consider this story of Chinese origin:
A farmer used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer's neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?"
Then, when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"
Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's son with his broken leg, they let him off. Now was that good luck or bad luck?
Who knows?
Sometimes it just seems like you cannot catch a break. There's a saying, "When it rains, it pours." That means that when things go bad, it goes very bad. In those times of defeat it's easy to fall into a state of worthlessness or total frustration. These frustrations can spiral us into a place where bad habits come back or are accentuated. When a smoker is stressed, they often pick up a cigarette. When a alcoholic's life get's difficult, it is common for them to turn to the bottle. When someone who is struggling with the habit of watching porn gets stressed, it is more likely he will turn to porn.
When it seems like things are going really bad, consider this story of Chinese origin:
A farmer used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer's neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?"
Then, when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"
Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's son with his broken leg, they let him off. Now was that good luck or bad luck?
Who knows?
It's easy to get super excited at good things that happen and then when those things don't work out, we get the wind sucked out of our sails and it makes the juxtaposition of change even worse. It's also easy to look at the negative things and focus on those things. The reality is, we don't know the plan that is in store for us.
We take what we're given and we work them for God, for the glory of God. We don't know where things will head. When we're on the edge of despair, despair not. We do not know God's plan. Because luck isn't a real part of the Orthodox faith, we can look at moments in our lives and say, "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?"
We take what we're given and we work them for God, for the glory of God. We don't know where things will head. When we're on the edge of despair, despair not. We do not know God's plan. Because luck isn't a real part of the Orthodox faith, we can look at moments in our lives and say, "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?"
Today's Instructions:
A. Pray for the day, for friends, for family, for enemies. Thanksgiving, Requests, Praise.
B. In the Fortify Program, Update the battle tracker. Go to Week 6. Check out, "How do you feel about securing your home base?" and "Anchors ("I love you more")
C. Go to the daily readings and read today's Scripture.
D. Journal the following: 1. What's your attitude toward things that happen to you? 2. Are you able see things in a level headed way?
Today's Tips: When the urges come, get up. Stop. Breathe. Pray. Get away from your computer and phone and write a thank you note to someone.
God give you strength. See you tomorrow.
Don't ever come back to this page to start over. This is the launching pad. You've already begun, even if you fall.
If you want to review this page, please do, but do not come back here to start over.