Not a chance

After a spring and summer of fruitless house hunting in connection with my husband's job transfer, I was led one October morning, after some earnest praying, to fly down again unexpectedly to the new area. Unbeknown to me, a new property had come on the market the day before. It proved to be a perfect answer to the family's needs. An offer was immediately made and accepted, and that same evening word came of the concurrent sale of the house we would be leaving.

The Bible is full of assurances such as ''The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord'' n1 and ''In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.''n2 Trusting God's will and the operation of His law - realizing no element of chance but only God's blessing in the good that comes into our lives - will we believe in luck or accident or fortune?

n1 Psalms 37:23;

n2 Proverbs 3:6;

It's clear that misfortune is the other side of the coin of good fortune. If one believes in or acts in compliance with the notion of good luck, how can he rule out of his thought and experience occasions of bad luck?

How easy it is today to be drawn unwittingly into the widespread acceptance of gambling and luck. From state-sponsored lotteries and national sweepstakes contests to local bingo games and raffle tickets, opportunities for gambling abound.

But is legalized gambling, however carried on, actually harmless or ever beneficial? Not if it pulls one away from a conviction of God's direction and control. Not if it tempts one to believe in ''something for nothing,'' a sudden windfall unrelated to merit, effort, or obligation.

In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures Mary Baker Eddy n3 writes, ''Accidents are unknown to God, or immortal Mind, and we must leave the mortal basis of belief and unite with the one Mind, in order to change the notion of chance to the proper sense of God's unerring direction and thus bring out harmony.'' n4

n3 The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science;

n4 Science and Health p. 424 is God's image, we also realize that our destiny is God-determined and endlessly unfolding. Not the roll of dice, a random selection of numbers, chance timing, or even the position of the stars, but a divine and intelligent purpose truly governs us. This divine plan includes no element of accident, no random or senseless occurrence.

n5 See Proverbs 10:22

Dread of as well as the tragic consequences of accidents - so incessantly publicized by the media - can only be ruled out by consistent acknowledgment of, trust in, and obedience to, the divine law. Many earnest Christians have proved that under God's law there is never a chance for evil, but always fresh, indeed infinite, opportunities for good.

As the Bible indicates, God's blessing makes rich and adds no sorrow. n5 What God gives to His child - health, intelligence, integrity, joy, love, spiritual perceptiveness - can't be taken away. Such qualities, constituting the real worth of being, can never be lost or jeopardized through carelessness and neglect or stolen through envy, greed, deceit, or animosity.

Striving to keep thought in harmony with the divine Mind - with what God knows and wills, seeking humbly to serve His purpose - we'll find chance receding from our lives, and the details of human experience conforming more to the divine order. This not only saves from costly mistakes but results in practical protection from harm - as the writer and her family have proved over several decades of extensive travel, numerous business transfers, active sports involvement, and challenging changes in circumstances.

Under God's direction, each of us must always be in the right place at the right time. We must always be safe under His control. We must move always in accord with our divine source. Since God is utterly good, every good and perfect gift we receive must come to us from above, as James points out. n6

n6 See James 1:17

Divinity's embrace of humanity, as exemplified in the life and works of Christ Jesus, is what makes good evident and unprecarious - on earth as in heaven. This is the incomparable promise of a life lived in accord with God, in harmony with divine law. DAILY BIBLE VERSE As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them thattrust in him. IISamuel 22:31