All Things Crossed

By Karen ‘Girl’ Friday

“Keep your fingers crossed.” I looked at the text on my phone. Minutes before my friend sent a message asking me to pray…a request for the Lord to accomplish.

I quickly replied, “I am praying.” Now my friend suggested crossed fingers. A sign of good luck.

I have participated in this lucky ritual of hoping for a desired outcome. What power does crossing my middle finger over my pointer finger really bring? Or is it the pointer finger over the middle finger? I stopped typing to check…definitely for me, the middle over the pointer is much more comfortable and natural.

Is crossing our fingers a magical formula to change the progression of events? To cause something great to happen or stop something bad from taking place?

I had a teacher in elementary school who once told me my mom needed to trim my bangs, the hair across my forehead, because I looked like I was cross-eyed. In fact, she said, “You look like a cross-eyed bat.” Yes, the flying nocturnal mammal one. I remember how it made me feel and I was genuinely sorry for kids who are born with or develop crossed eyes. As you can imagine, it didn’t go over well with my mother. In today’s culture, it would be a definite meeting with the principal and further serious action.

After all, you shouldn’t be able to call a kid a cross-eyed bat—without consequences—especially a school teacher!

As kids we took part in crossed things. We crossed our fingers hoping for something great to happen. We had competitions, “who can cross your eyes? Just look at the end of your nose!” And the scariest thing was when another kid or adult informed us that we shouldn’t try to cross our eyes, they could get stuck…in the crossed position.

Sadly, children and adults have this very real eye problem. Either born with the condition or it develops from an injury or health issue. The muscles of the eyes do not line up the same. Each eye will look in a different direction. Thankfully, there are effective treatments and corrective surgery.

There are people we don’t want to cross. Warnings: “Don’t cross him, you will get blasted!” or “If you cross her, you will wish you hadn’t!” People who become cross with us. I have been on the receiving end of their words and rants. Even as drastic as the person swore they were going to cross my name out for good—in their lives. Over something that did not justify those kinds of desperate measures. A confession: I have been on the giving end of being cross with others…particularly family.

I don’t believe in luck from crossed fingers, the luck of the draw, lucky clovers or charms (not the cereal,) lucky people or luck in general. People who become cross are very real—we have established I am one at times—there is nothing we can do to change them. We can’t even change ourselves. Transformation comes through prayer and God’s progress in us. The measures he takes to make us more like Christ.

God never crosses us off his list. He calls us by name. 

The Lord specializes in operating within the realm of the supernatural—not the natural. Luck is not super in any way, form or shape. It’s in the natural realm and natural is not going to help us. We need supernatural.

Sadly, many of us have a very real eye problem. Our spiritual eyes do not line up. They are looking in different directions. One eye is looking toward the supernatural, “pray.” The other eye is looking in the direction of the natural, “keep your fingers crossed.” The Lord provides effective treatment and corrective surgery for spiritual eye conditions. Keep both eyes centered on him and line them up with the Word, not the world.

Crossed fingers aren’t necessary with the nail-scarred hands of the cross!

When the wooden cross-beam was put in place with Jesus hanging from it, a sacrificial offering was made for access into the supernatural.

The cross at calvary…the only cross we need.

“Through Christ…all things are reconciled on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:20

All things crossed!

© 2014 by Karen Friday