What’s Luck Got To Do, Got To Do With It?

Oki-doki, so it’s the blessed Sabbath and I’d usually be embracing these with all the love and joy of someone in desperate need of God’s emblem of eternal rest.  Whilst I do so, however, there hangs over me the issue of the move.  You’re still wondering where to, and I will update you on that … in a future blog.

For the time being, though, our lovely neighbours have been … errr … lovely in sending some cards and the like to wish us all the best.  Likewise, today being me last day at work, I’ve also received some tokens of appreciation including ties, socks, book vouchers (they know me very well) and of course cards.

Now in among the sentiments and fond farewells emerged the ever persistent presence of that term – Good Luck.  I could get all etymological on people, but even this wordsmith knows when its time to get all etymological and when not to.  (At this juncture, it gives me great pleasure to point out that I’m sure there are those who don’t have the foggiest what I mean by etymological … and that is why they gave us those funky link type things to help us out!  Cool, eh?)

Although I cannot get all etymological even now, what I can say is what Tina Turner should have sang about if she let me write the lyric to her song – what’s luck got to do with it?

My problem with luck is that it’s an easy kop-out for people to explain the unexplainable.  (What do you mean ‘unexplainable’ is a word?  Where’s my red squiggle at?)  When they cannot ascribe credit to forces within their knowledge they pass it on to luck.  I would say fate as well but I don’t recall people wishing me ‘good fate’ with my ventures, or that was ‘bad fate’ on my part when something unfortunate and unexplainable (well if it’s a word, I might as well use it) takes place.

I don’t believe in luck and have not been convinced of it’s ‘explanation’ of anything.  I am not as arrogant to presume I can explain everything that happens, how it happens and why it happens.  I would not even be as presumptuous to suggest that there is a knowable explanation for everything that can be conceived by the human mind.  The striker hits the ball as sweetly and technically perfectly as you want, the wind is fine, it’s heading for the top corner and all of a sudden it slightly curls to the right and it hits the post.  ‘Oooohhhh, unlucky!’ goes the cry.  I am not going to say ‘well there’s a perfectly reasonable and rational explanation for that which has just occurred.’  (Especially if it happens to be a goal in the last minute of a match that could be the difference between 3 points and a safe season and one point and relegation.)

Whilst I agree that there are unknown factors behind a lot of issues in life, I still believe there is One who has a very good knowledge of what those factors are.  Being sovereign and omniscient as He is these events are no surprise or mystery to Him.  Good stuff happens God be praised.  Bad stuff happens … eventually God be praised (not for the bad stuff, per se, but for His Kingdom Rule being about the end to the bad stuff … of course depending on what it is, etc.).

In the meantime as I’m reliably reassured so often, I should take responsibility for the things that I am able to respond to.  (You could almost believe that’s why the word is almost the mix of response and able … but that would be etymologically crazy wouldn’t it?)  Or to put it in a familiar gospel song parlance – after I’ve done all I can I just stand.

And for those who are saying ‘it’s only a saying’, that’s not too far from the school that says sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never harm me.  This school, by the way, has already been condemned as unfit for proper education and in danger of deluding many.  Only a saying is another cop-out (I thought I’d leave Liverpool out of it and reinsert the authorities) for not thinking about things and being lazy.

With the greatest of respect (as a well known and loved man of words once put it) luck has nothing to do with it.  So although I won’t get all etymological on anyone who has as a habit the old reference to ‘luck’ for the unknown, at least you know now that if you really expect me to take that on for what it is … well … good luck with that hope!

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd