Life Hack #3 - A Real Windfall

Life Hack #3:

Forbes magazine published an article November 28, 2012, entitled "Why Winning Powerball Won't Make You Happy" written by Susan Adams. Citing multiple studies which point out the IMMEDIATE high or exuberance of winning, but then focus on the quick return to a low point within just a short point in time, she concludes: "While winning the lottery can make a difference, it won't affect the other conditions of your life". We can "bet" on the one-time windfall, or we can count on the certainty of what God provides with consistency. The choice seems pretty simple to me, but obviously there are a whole lot of others who actually don't believe this!

Don’t gamble on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, hocking your house against a lucky chance. The time will come when you have to pay up; you’ll be left with nothing but the shirt on your back. (Proverbs 22:26-27)

"Life Hack #3" looks at where it is we determine our "windfall" or "riches" to rest - in the 'windfall' or in the 'consistency'. Life's joy isn't in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The "lucky chance" many take will do little more than make them more than financially broke in the end. Gambling seems like a pretty risky business to me. My mother used to say to me, "My poor wee lassie". My response to mom each and every time she says this to me: "I no so poor". Yep, the grammar is wrong, but you get the point. I am not poor in any respect - in fact, I am as rich as I can be, blessed beyond measure in Christ Jesus - even when things may not be "quite right" in my life. A lot of us determine our disposition in life based on the circumstances we are dealt. Look at the one who carries us through those circumstances, not at the circumstances themselves!

If we look at wealth to give us a sense of "worth" in life, we will always be chasing an elusive dream, for today's "wealth" will not keep up with tomorrow's demands. If we look at "image" to give us a sense of worth in life, we will be chasing a pretty unmanageable dream, for our "image" will fade in time, no matter how much plastic surgery we have done! God's direction to us is to look to him to give us our sense of worth - for this is truthfully the only thing which "imputes" value into our lives. We could hold out for the windfall at the end of the rainbow, but I would rather have my value determined today, not some day down the road when I "hit it big". I don't think there is anything "bigger" to "hit" than being redeemed by the grace of God from a life lived without him for all of eternity!

Keeping our focus on the "what if" of tomorrow will not benefit us any today. In fact, it serves to do nothing more than make us yearn for what we don't have and what we will be unlikely to ever achieve. Rather than focus on the "what if" of tomorrow, we would do well to focus on the "what is" of today. We have been granted so much in Christ Jesus - it will take us a lifetime to actually realize the significance of the TRUE and lasting "windfall" we have in HIM! Just sayin!