Did you catch the news about Lucky, the calico house cat that was tossed into the icy waters of a Montana river a few days after Christmas? The scrawny tabby had been locked in a cage with a 16 pound rock, then thrown off a bridge to drown.
Passerby’s spotted the kitty who landed on a patch of ice. They contacted Missoula firefighters who launched a mission to rescue the frightened feline. Following a successful recovery, the grateful mouser was chauffeured to the firehouse for a delectable meal of leftover Christmas turkey and cool milk. At the fire station she was dubbed, “Lucky.”
How about it; was luck responsible for this cats survival? Or, was there more at play than that? The dictionary defines luck as that which happens by chance. Fortune, (another way to put it) whether good or bad, is something totally out of our control. But, according to this belief, there are good luck charms and magic talismans that will attract the good fortune and ward off the bad.
Perhaps like me you carried a lucky rabbit’s foot in your pocket as a kid. And, did you crawl through the damp grass on your hands and knees groping for that elusive four-leaf clover, too? What about the holiday turkey? Did you fight with your brother and sister over who would get the lucky wishbone? I know I did!
Childish fun. Yet, even as adults we often attribute it to fortune when something unexpectedly good happens. “You’d better thank your lucky stars!” I’ve been told more than once. And, by the way, did any of you partake of black-eyed peas this New Year’s Day, just for good luck?
Luck verses Providence
But, the longer I live the more I am convinced that very little happens in our world by chance. I believe the good that comes our way is the result of the blessings of a God that loves and cares for us very deeply. The Bible says…”
So, what about Lucky? Did God have a hand in that pussycats rescue? The Bible says that not even a sparrow can fall to the ground without God knowing about it! “So, don’t be afraid, you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matthew 11:31).
I’m so glad that God knows and cares about all the birds and animals, large and small, that inhabit our planet. And, so much more does our Creator know and care about you and me.
