"Luck is What Happens when Preparation Meets Opportunity"

A few years ago I dabbled with penny stocks but because I never took the time to watch the stocks daily, I didn't have much success. I set up and account online where I was even able to "Watch" a particular stock by placing in the amount of shares I would buy and at what price. I could then watch what would have happened if I actually made the purchase. Well.... The other day, I went into this account and looked at my "Watch" list. To my astonishment and also my sorrow, one of the stocks I was watching went from $1.21 to over $22.00 a share. If I had made the $500 investment I pretended to make, I would have turned that $500 into over $11,000.00! Boy did I miss a good one! Why did I miss it?
Two reasons:

One: I was only watching the stock and never actually committed myself to buying it and
Two: I didn't watch the market for what was happening.

I am telling you this not because I want you to play the stock market or call me for a tip, (You want to make money don't you?) I am telling you this to remind you that in order to enjoy success in life, you must actually participate in it. If you just sit on the sidelines, you can share in the success of others, but you will never feel the real joy of success for yourself. You must participate. There are no gold metals, no rewards, no rings for those who watch the game and Jesus is not going to say, "Well done my good and faithful spectator" So many people go through life wishing they had what others have. Wishing they made the money, wishing they had the ministry, wishing they owned the business, however wishing is like praying without any action. Remember "Faith without works is dead." You often hear people who watch others become successful say things like, "Boy they are lucky, I wish I could be that lucky" or "They are blessed, what's wrong with me God, why won't you bless me like that?" "Wait a minute! That is stinkin' thinkin'! You mean after taking a chance, getting out of the easy chair, learning what needs to be done, how to do it and then actually committing yourself to doing it boils down to being blessed and lucky when you start to reap what you have sown? Here is a great definition for the word Luck.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity".

The second reason I didn't reap the benefits of my stock was because I didn't pay attention to my potential investment. If you have committed yourself to anything, you had better pay close attention to what is happening in the area of your investment. Look at the times, stay abreast of what is happening in the industry. When you do this you will be ready for any changes that need to take place. Everything has a season. A season for success and if you don't know when that season ends, you will have one of failure. If you have committed yourself to a cause, be it a business, ministry or even an investment. PAY ATTENTION TO IT!

Final thought: Use the same principles for your relationships. In spite of popular opinions, people change. We are not the same people we were 5, 10 or 15 years ago and we will be different, act different and even think different in the years to come. If you don't keep a careful watch on your relationships, you may suddenly find yourself in the middle of a season of "Relationship Failure". Your spouse is changing, your children are definitely changing you will have to respond to those changes. The individual that keeps a careful eye on their relationships will be able to cut short the hard times and enjoy more seasons of happiness; while the one who don't usually will find themselves surprised by either a letter from an attorney or a knock on the door from the sheriff.