Commentary
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about luck, whether it’s random, earned, or something we call in by believing it’s ours.
Science tells us that observation changes matter at the smallest scale. In the famous double-slit experiment, particles behave one way when unobserved and another when measured. Just the act of being watched seems to alter their behavior. But what about in our everyday lives? Can our faith, mindset, or belief actually shape what happens to us?
I recently read an article suggesting that lucky people aren’t just lucky by chance, they’re lucky because they expect to be. People who assume life will work out tend to take more risks, step forward more often, and see setbacks as temporary. Psychologist Richard Wiseman studied this and found that “lucky” people notice opportunities others overlook and recover from challenges with optimism. Their belief doesn’t magically rearrange the universe, it changes them.
I’ve seen this play out firsthand. My brother has fallen off a ladder twice this year, two serious falls, and both times he somehow landed on his feet like a cat. He just stood up, laughing, completely unfazed. He truly believes he’s lucky and that things always work out. Watching him, I can’t help but wonder if that belief affects his instincts, if his confidence actually changes the way his body reacts in a split second.
Science would likely say that belief shapes behavior, not the physical world. People who see themselves as lucky tend to be more open, confident, and quick to act. They take more chances. They don’t freeze up when life gets hard. In that way, what we call “luck” might just be courage wearing a smile.
I’ve known people with far more natural talent than I have, people whose gifts are breathtaking, but they hold back. They overthink, they play it safe, or they give up when things get difficult. I used to joke about one friend in particular, saying, “If I had just the talent in his pinky finger with my drive, I’d be unstoppable.” But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that mindset and perseverance matter just as much as talent. Maybe more. Talent can stay trapped in potential forever, while a steady spirit keeps moving, learning, and eventually succeeding.
For me, faith has always been the driver. A kind of radical trust that everything, especially the hard things, is working for my good. That faith has carried me through loss, uncertainty, and failure. I’ve seen what I can only describe as miracles. Were they the result of sheer willpower and persistence? Or did something divine meet me in my belief?
Even the study of water points toward mystery. Masaru Emoto’s famous photos of ice crystals supposedly changing shape depending on the words or emotions directed at them are controversial, but they captured something our intuition already knows, that intention matters. Researchers like Veda Austin have continued exploring how water seems to respond to energy and emotion. And whether or not the science ever “proves” it, we can all agree that emotion and thought alter our bodies. Humans are mostly water. When we’re calm and hopeful, our physiology reflects it. When we’re afraid or angry, it does too. What we believe changes the water within us, and maybe, in some small way, the world around us.
If this topic intrigues you, I wrote an entire article on the science and spirituality of water a few months ago here in The Epoch Times. It dives into scripture, consciousness, and how water might just be a living witness to intention.
So maybe belief doesn’t bend spoons or change the laws of physics. But it changes the chemistry of our cells, the direction of our choices, and the energy we bring into a room. It makes us notice doors that others overlook. It keeps us moving when logic says to stop. Maybe that’s the real miracle, that God designed us to partner with possibility.
Because when you believe the world is conspiring for you, you tend to meet it halfway.
And maybe that’s what faith really is.
