Oh, To Be So Lucky

I was attending a workshop a few years back when I heard an old joke, or at least an old joke to me. Now, anyone who knows me knows that telling Jokes is not one of my strengths, and it is quite possible that you've heard this joke told in a different manner, but here goes. There was a notice posted in public areas around town:

LOST: Family Pet, Male Dog, Missing Right Eye,
Chewed Up Left Ear, Missing Patches of Fur from Recent Dog Fight,
Has only three legs, Missing half of his tail,
Goes by Name of "Lucky".

From the description above, this dog doesn't appear to be very "Lucky". It sounds as if this little animal has been beaten up pretty thoroughly by life, quite the opposite from being lucky. This poor dog has seen better days and appears to have quite the list of problems. I wonder how many of us have felt "Lucky", or should I say, have felt like Lucky.

I know that there have been many times in my life that I could relate to Lucky. In fact, when problems seem to out number solutions, when emotions are more negative than positive, and when I feel more powerless than in control, I definitely can relate to our lost dog Lucky. I doubt if any of us have walked this life without getting beaten up at times. The reality is that life deals out her share of struggles and heartaches. Some of us cannot image walking in the foot steps of Lucky; and some of us have experienced far greater difficulties in life, wishing we only had it as hard as Lucky.

When we read about Lucky, it's a normal reaction to feel pity for this little creature. But let's look beyond the obvious. Here is what appears to be a rather ugly dog to the human eye. You'd wonder why a person would take such great efforts to find this misfit of an animal and not celebrate in the fact that this eyesore of a mutt is lost; no longer their responsibility. But explore deeper into this search. Here is a person who is yearning for their lost dog. But this is not merely a lost dog; this is a family pet, owned and loved by someone who greatly misses him. This is a dog whose owner would go to great lengths to find and save their lost family member. This is not a worn out worthless dog, but rather a treasure to his owner, a creature to be loved and valued in the eyes of his owner. I've recently lost my little family member, and she was more to us than a dog.

Wow, so I suppose Lucky really is lucky. But then again, is he really lucky? For some reason, I don't think so. I'm willing to guess that Lucky was chosen by his owner. This little dog was chosen and loved by his owner before he learned to love and trust the man who chose him. Of all the abandoned, rejected, and abused dogs in the world, Lucky was chosen to be a part of the family of the Owner. So, lucky or Blessed; all of his flaws overlooked, given the love, mercy, and grace of his Owner, this dog Lucky has come to know a wonderful and merciful Owner.

We are very much like Lucky; lost, forsaken, abused, and rejected. And like Lucky, a wonderful God who was willing to go to the ultimate sacrifice to save us from being lost has chosen us. When life treats us like Lucky, we can fall on the God given wisdom of Bill W. and Dr. Bob, the creators of Alcoholics Anonymous. We can pull strength and wisdom from AA's Twelve Steps to bring our lives back from being out of control, submitting ourselves to the control, care, and nurturing of our God. Below is a modification of their wisdom and can help us to realize just how "Lucky" and Blessed we are to be chosen by the Father, to be in his family.

• When life is out of control, when we feel powerless, when our issues and dependencies have made our lives unmanageable, we can admit our powerlessness to our God, asking for His help.
• We can come to the realization that we need to rely on a power greater than ourselves to restore our sanity and to become centered in life again. We understand and believe that only God can do this for us.
• We turn over our lives and our will to the control and care of our God, to our savior and rescuer of lost souls, Jesus Christ.
• We begin to understand our flaws, our moral struggles, and the problems in our lives.
• We become accountable to our God, to ourselves, and to safe supportive people, such as accountability partners and small groups. We share our lives, our struggles, and our wrongs.
• We ask our God, our Savior, to remove our shortcomings and begin to allow God to create us into who we were designed to be.
• We learn to admit our errors and seek forgiveness when possible and when appropriate.
• We seek to improve our relationship with our God and our Savior through prayer, meditation, and worship.
• As we become close to our God and awaken spiritually, we don't keep it to ourselves, but rather seek to minister and spread our knowledge of God and Jesus to others, helping others to find the same peace and assurance in life.

My reader and friend, I encourage you to realize the our God has given us his Word and it is vital that we rely on the Word of our God. I encourage you to realize your errors, understand that your control of your life is limited, and be willing to give your control and your will over to a loving God. I encourage you to realize just how “Lucky” and Blessed you are to be loved by a Father who is willing to find us and sacrifice an ultimate price so that we will never be lost again. So, are you feeling "Lucky"? I sure hope so.

(The writings in this post are random thoughts and observations and are NEVER intended as professional or personal advice. Take what works and leave the rest. For information on mental health and/or substance abuse help, visit http://www.rodneyvalandra.com and refer to the links page.)

Check these sites for more information:
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/
http://www.aa.org/
http://www.matthewkelly.org/mkf_index.html

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