Seven Lucky

Seven Lucky (1,230)

August 6th, 2011

I don’t believe in numerology. People who get worked up over numbers always amuse me. I get around folks who are excited when they see three 7’s in a row. A trio of 3’s will send them into ecstasy. What is humorous to me about numerology is that eventually every number has a particular significance to it—so you find out that 8 is the number of “new beginnings.” 2 stands for “agreement.” And 40, for some reason, symbolizes everything from “the length of a generation” to a “dispensation of Biblical proportions.”

I don’t think numbers by themselves are lucky (even though I am still quite impressed with a million). But I do think there are seven lucky words that accompany good human growth.

I run across church members who think that the Gospel is powerful because it’s in the Bible. I will tell you that the Gospel of Jesus is powerful because it includes the ideas, words and concepts that make human life possible. Can we isolate off these principles without including God? Yes, but it is much more arduous and lonely—toiling in a partnership without a companion.

So here are the seven lucky ideas that make human life plausible, personal and prosperous. )They happen to be the first seven letters of the alphabet, so they will be easy for you to remember):

A – Aware. In our generation we consider awareness to be a virtue rather than a necessity—a compliment we give to those we meet when we think they have given good attention to a matter. Actually, aware is the only way to avoid apathy, which is truly the cancer of all passion. We had a saying in my home, which was: “Wherever you are, be there.” I did not teach my children that one thing was more important than another. I told them that if it was necessary to actually have a physical presence, then you must bring along the emotions, brains and spirit as well. So going to church was no more valuable and intense to my sons than popping corn to watch a movie together. Both things were done in a state of awareness—or they just weren’t done.

B – Be. Easy to recall. Even though we extol adaptation in our social interactions—and I do agree that a certain amount of evolution is necessary to be culturally viable—too much compromise leaves us ill-defined and therefore misunderstood. I want the people who know me to understand who I have chosen to be.

· Who have I decided to be emotionally? Available.

· Who have I decided to be spiritually? Childlike.

· Who have I decided to be mentally? Curious.

· Who have I decided to be physically? Strong, but forthcoming about my vulnerabilities.

Do yourself and others a favor—decide who you want to be and cast a consistent shadow.

C – Care. Caring is not giving surface attention to many matters, portraying oneself as universal. No—to care is to bring focus to someone or something until some form of satisfaction is achieved. Dividing our attention is exactly the opposite of caring. You deserve my undivided laser-interest until such a time as we can determine that both of us can move on.

D – Do. Contending that human beings need to do nothing to achieve salvation has rendered the Christian faith insipid, if not poisonous to the body of Christ. Jesus did not say, “Think about others as you would think about yourself.” Removing “do” from the human arsenal is taking the muscle away from the bone and then complaining about the lack of movement.

E – Equality. An easy one for me. The truth of the matter is, I am incapable of treating everybody equally, but to surrender to my inconsistencies and prejudices by assuming their characteristics are just “human nature” is to give myself permission to walk around touting an acceptable bigotry. So I will say right out loud that men and women are not different; black, white, red and yellow have more in common than in uniqueness. Those who disagree with me about that stance may feel free to do so, but shall not gain my ear–because ALL attempts at trying to differentiate are truly the seeds of damnable isolation.

F – Free. If God is not about freedom, then God is not only useless to the human experience, He is also a liar. Because Jesus said, “The truth will make us free” and that he had come to “make people free indeed.” Freedom frightens religion, corporations and politicians, because it grants choice to the fickle masses. The Bible even says that when you give people freedom, they will at first use it for “an occasion to the flesh.” So be it. Freedom is sacred. I must grant it to myself and others, or I cast myself into the role of the divine instead of finding my divinity in the role of being part of the cast.

And finally:

G – Go. Don’t sit. Don’t wonder. Don’t become obnoxiously saddened because you wished for something instead of pursuing it. I would rather fail in the midst of a journey than languish in despair, surrounded by security. Human beings were never meant to experience something and then sit back and relish in it. Twelve disciples were challenged by their Master to “go into all the world and preach the gospel” instead of writing their tell-all books and biographies. We’re just better when we go.

So, those are my seven lucky words that appear in the gospel of Jesus, but also pepper every delicacy of human effort that is actually palatable.

Aware. Be. Care. Do. Equality. Free. Go.

Incorporate those into your life for a twenty-four hour period and see if there is not a visible difference in your level of contentment and success. If there isn’t, I will retract this essay and apologize to you and everyone else. But if there is, have the awareness to be smart and care by doing for others in equality, while granting freedom to go . . . and make a difference.