“Luck is great, but most of life is hard work.” Iain Duncan Smith

Happy Monday!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope you remembered to wear something green today; as Thomas Augustine Daly, the Irish-American poet, once said, “…the whole world is Irish on the seventeenth o’ March…” With that in mind, I’m writing while looking at a shamrock plant I gave my mom one St. Patrick’s Day when my daughters were in elementary school, thinking that it’s still alive and blooming despite some seasons of near-death experiences (I don’t have much of a green thumb!), proving that thriving isn’t about luck; it takes hard work.

We often think about luck when considering the events surrounding this day. We all desire luck and hope the luck of the Irish is on our side. We hope for good breaks, make wishes on rainbows, and search for the elusive four-leaf clover, both physically and metaphorically. We aim to give ourselves the best possible chances to be lucky in business, love, finance, and friendship. We avoid stepping on toes (and cracks), taking unnecessary risks, and strive to cover all bases to ensure our luck will hold.

However, looking at the example of St. Patrick’s life and work, it’s clear that dedication and hard work are required. He was allegedly kidnapped as a teen from Britain and taken to Ireland. He became a shepherd, escaped, became a priest, then returned to Ireland to become a missionary. He evangelized for many years and converted much of the northern region to Christianity. He was not exactly the picture of luck, but he was most definitely familiar with hard work.

Here’s Iain Duncan Smith’s, former member of Parliament, take on the subject:

Photo by Cole Keister. No copyright infringement intended.

Yes, I’m sure many of us can attest that the times we’ve been luckiest are when we’ve worked the hardest. Still, it’s nice to think about being lucky. Following are some additional thoughts on luck from the lens of work:

“The amount of luck coming your way depends on your willingness to act.” Barbara Sher

“The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself.” Douglas MacArthur

“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca

And there are references about work throughout Scripture:

“The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand..” Deuteronomy 28:12 (NKJV)

“From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.” Acts 14:26 (CSB)

“For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love that you showed for his name’s sake, when you served the saints, and while you continue to serve them.” Hebrews 6:10 (EHV)

As you can see, good fortune has very little to do with luck and is more about effort and grace. I wonder how many times we’ve thought we were lucky when grace and mercy carried us through. Hebrews 4:16 reminds us, “Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.” (GNT)

As we set out to continue working at being lucky this week, let’s acknowledge the graces we enjoy and appreciate that many of the things we attribute to luck are the fruition of hard work and planning. Let’s enjoy the not-so-coincidental coincidences and give ourselves a tip ‘o the hat for our diligence. I believe we’ll be able to store some of the luck for the future!

Be Well & Be Blessed!

Lucinda