I WON!!!
Ok. So I only won $4. That's 100% gain on a $2 ticket, friends! With those odds, I'll be quitting my job soon -- which, let's be honest, is a real goal in life these days.
I know a couple who will sometimes go to the casinos with some "mad cash" they've saved up. They enjoy a weekend away and permit themselves to spend the money they've alloted -- never more -- and they have one rule: always walk away while you're ahead.
Let's be honest: I'm not really against gambling. I'm against gambling addictions, which I realize are very real, but almost everything in life can be addicting -- TV, food, relationships; you name it. Unless you rid your life of ALL potentially-addicting things (which I'm pretty sure could and would include the food you ate for dinner), please don't preach to me about gambling being a sin. Okay? In this case, at least in the way I see things, it's not the action that's problematic -- it's the heart behind it. John Calvin once said that our hearts are "idol-making factories." Preach it, Calvy. The only thing that satisfies is God Himself. Are we clear?
I could say more on that... maybe in another post.
But as soon as I found out I won the $4, you know what my INSTANT reaction was? Go buy another ticket. Maybe you'll win more on the next one! And honestly, maybe I'm naive, but I was shocked by that. My own heart? Prone to addiction? Prone to making an idol out of four measly dollars? Oh yes. So what did I do? I walked to the Customer Service center, got my $4, walked out of the store and had a little talk with myself about boundaries. Here's what I came up with:
1. I cannot play more than once a week.
2. If I win money, I must walk away.
3. If I lose money, I must walk away.
4. I must always check my heart for idols. What do I want most in life: to win a million dollars from the lottery, or to know Jesus more?
I'll just go ahead and answer that for you: I want to win a million dollars from the lottery. I have a feeling #4 is going to be the hardest.
3 comments:
I always opt-out of a "tax on the poor" (a.k.a. the lottery).
Besides. I'm always afraid that Uncle Al will see...
This comment is not anything against the $2 ticket you bought or anything, it just reminded me of something I heard relating to gambling. They just opened the first casino in Pittsburgh on Sunday and in the first 18 hours people spent $14 million. As I'm raising support I just think WoooooW that is a heck of a lot of money, and I just need like $5,000 left. It makes me a little sad to think of the addiction and that much money.
I love it that you called Calvin 'Calvy'...just saying :)
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