How We Won the Lottery

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This is the story of how we won the lottery. And not just the lottery, but had a run of lucky coincidences that all fell into place after the big win. By the way, it was the green card lottery, not a Powerball of MegaMillions lottery, so the prize was not cash but opportunity. It's hard to say whether the odds are better or not, but I can tell you that winning the initial draw is only the start. There's a whole series of other 'lotteries' that must be won as well before having your name drawn the first time does you any good. So it takes more than just dumb luck.

My husband and I are Canadians. He grew up in southern Ontario and I grew up in Calgary, Alberta. We met in the middle at college. We lived in Calgary for the first few years we were married. Early in 1993, we lived in Calgary, and he was working in a greenhouse, and we received surprising news - his name had been drawn in the green card 'lottery' he'd entered the previous year! What luck! We hadn't won millions of dollars, but we had won an opportunity to find a job in the USA and be able to live and work there.

So he started applying for jobs, but there wasn't much response. One day, his manager brought him into the office to take a call. A grower in New Jersey had called for a reference for someone else, and the manager had said, "I have a different guy here that I'd much rather recommend, and he has been looking for a job in the US. Want to talk to him?" Very shortly after that, my husband flew out for an interview and was offered the job. A job he hadn't even applied for. What are the chances, right? Someone else that used to work at the same relatively small place had applied to a company on the other side of the continent, and the manager had suggested my husband instead! 

Next, we needed to apply for the green cards. Although 30,000 names were drawn, only 10,000 visas were awarded, and one is needed for each family member. In addition, we found out that we needed specific appointment slots at the consulate for the number of visas we'd need, which was three. Time was also running out - they had started awarding the visas at least six months previous, and we don't know how many were left at that point. Everything was booked up for the month when I called, and we thought we'd need to wait, but I was advised to call after a week or so to see if there were cancellations. You guessed it - by sheer coincidence (???), three spots had opened up, so we could get our visas processed.

Many people would say those were incredibly lucky coincidences and good fortune was one our side, that it was fate, or even that we'd done something to deserve good karma. We know without a doubt that it was our God at work. He had my husband's name drawn out the thousands; he orchestrated a phone call that led to a job offer in a place we hadn't thought to look; he made sure we'd find the exact appointments we needed, just in time; and he had 'reserved' visas for us. If it was just the luck of the draw, it was at God's direction.

The dice are thrown into the lap,

but their every decision is from the LORD.

~Proverbs 16:33~

God knew where we needed to be, and had a purpose for us. He had a plan for us. After we'd moved, I was struck by part of the apostle Paul's speech in Athens that came to mean a lot to me, and I've returned to it again and again, because it's a reminder that none of us are where we are solely by chance or luck. Now, all these years later, although I'm sure that our move to Ohio was also a series of coincidences orchestrated by God, I'm not yet sure about my purpose here. And so I still need to be reminded that God is control and yes, he has a plan.

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

 ~Acts 17:26-27~

When we experience 'good luck', perhaps it's God blessing us. Consider the possibility that he is putting opportunities for ministry in our path, or orchestrating a blessing for us or others, or just trying to get our attention. What appears to be luck or coincidence might just be the answers to our prayers, or our chance to participate in the answer to someone else's prayers.

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

~Ephesians 2:10~

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

~Psalm 139:16~

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

This post will also be linked at Inspire Me Monday hosted by Anita Ojeda

A previous version of this article appeared on Homeschool Coffee Break in February 2021: Write 28 Days - Serendipity

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