In the fable, the three princes each go out in search of their fortune, but all of them, through their acute awareness and perception, find things that are better than a fortune-LOVE, TRUTH and OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE. They are able to make these discoveries because they notice things that other people miss, and thus find unexpected joys and opportunities.
Walpole made up the word serendipity and it means this:
"A state of mind whereby a person, through awareness, sensitivity and sagacity, frequently finds something better than that which he is seeking."
The fact is that we control so very little, and that GOD CONTROLS ALL, and serendipity has nothing to with luck. Heavenly Father's gifts are all around us, along with his opportunities and incredible beauties, and we just need the awareness and spiritual sensitivity to see them. We can cultivate this awareness by first asking God for it, instead of doing nothing and expecting something big to happen. As we do, we can use our agency to take the spiritual initiative that allows God to bless, inspire and guide us. Guidance is infinitely more valuable and more worthy of our pursuit and quest than is control. And serendipity is a mindset or paradigm that can get us to guidance.
With a serendipity mindset, we are motivated by our desire to discover and deliver God's will into our lives. We begin to see life as a great adventure where our challenge is not to control but to perceive and understand. We become as interested in learning to "watch and pray" as we are in learning to "work and plan", and the two sets of skills compliment and enhance each other.
I have tried and succeeded to an extent to achieve a serendipitous attitude in my life, especially when the pain is real bad, the fatigue all-consuming and just breathing seems too much to bear. All challenges serve a purpose, and I want to find the better things He wants for me, better than what I am seeking. I know He wants that for me and for you, too.
