Have any of you ever heard/said, “it just wasn’t in the cards”?

Of course, the “cards” being mentioned are circumstances in our lives. We try to work with the ones dealt to us, or the ones that we dealt ourselves. We eventually come to accept these cards as being a situation or circumstance that we are meant to be in.

I know that I’ve said it a time or two.  Or, how about “this is just the hand I’ve been dealt”? 

Spiritually, I think that we see our hand working against us more often than not.  But oh how quickly we forget who is dealing!  God is in control, and whether we’ve been deal with tough circumstances of life or consequences of our bad decisions, God will work them together.

One question I try to ask myself when I feel my circumstances have no potential for change is, “What am I grateful for?”  Most often I come up with a few things, and ultimately end with a prayer that can, on some days, be as sarcastic as it can be serious, and that’s “God, thank you for at least waking me up today.”

That gets me thinking…What about that statement, “thank you for where you have me”? Is that it?  Just being grateful for the cards that were dealt?  Or, can we choose to fold and ask for a new hand?

Either way, what are we to do with them? 

Are we just happy and thankful where we are, or are we to look deeper and see what God has in the deck?  I want to remember first and foremost that I’ve been given life and grace upon grace.

Besides…anything else is really a bonus.