Being Blessed and Being Lucky are Two Different Things

Yesterday, during a meeting with some co-workers, the conversation turned to the idea of being blessed.  An  awareness of my blessings and God's presence in my daily routine is the basis for this blog and a big part of my everyday life.  That being said, I know several people who are going through a very difficult personal time right now.  I wondered if they would describe themselves as blessed?

When things are going well it's easy to embrace the idea that we are all blessed, even when life is bad.  But how does that translate in times of true personal despair?  I hope, under more challenging circumstances, I could still embrace my blessings. 

Today I spoke with a woman whose husband was recently diagnosed with stage four cancer.  In a moment, her life changed forever.  I was calling to tell her a group of women from our church wanted to provide meals for her family.  She was overwhelmed by our simple response to her needs.  She felt blessed. 

That's faith.  Living life from a place of grace allows us to trust God's active presence in our lives - in good times and in bad.  Being lucky and being blessed are indeed two different things. 

Luck runs out.  I'll take blessed.