"I Ain't No Fortunate One" 

From the Creedence Clearwater Revival song Fortunate Son

The music blared over our intercom at the Hyundai store here in Daphne and as I sat in my office looking at potential vehicles on the internet to buy, the lyrics to this song really got me thinking. Yes, I was no fortunate one, not born originally into privledge, not given much to operate with in my younger days, but wow has that changed.
 
We were in such a bad neighborhood in Washington, DC when I was growing up that the paper boy dropped the paper by our front door as we sat outside, then went through our apartment and stole my mother's wallet out of her purse, leaving through the back porch door. Raised by a single Mom at a time when that was unusual, I always felt on the outside looking i,n and that is, ironically ,the way I chose to live my early days. No Fortunate One indeed! 
 
As the song continued, "It aint me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son", I thought of that era when this song came out and how rebellious that nature of our country was, how rebellious I was after Viet Nam and how that affected my behavior. After awhile you can convince yourself that you are not a fortunate one, and as you start behaving that way, it is almost impossible to retreat from that mindse which can lead down a path of personal destruction unless...
 
Unless you meet someone who has been there, someone who was treated in a similar fashion as No Fortunate One, No Fortunate Son. Then you can relate to them (AA meetings., etc.), and it can help you to see that change is possible.
 
But beyond that, think of this, how the apostles and believers felt when they watched Jesus hang from that cross. They may have been singing "He ain't no fortunate son" because they only saw what they saw, not what He saw. Think for a moment how God sees you, probably way better than you see yourself, and he sees what you can be, not what you have become. Now, as those folks heard of the empty tomb, as the news spread, they began to realize this was indeed the Fortunate Son!
 
And because of that we now became the Fortunate One that received the incredible benefits of his legacy, we became his heirs. From poor sinners who had lived in a bad neighborhood, and behaved very badly, to new Fortunate Sons of a loving, forgiving, grace filled God who invites us to His palace when our days have ended.
 
We can say, "I Ain't No Fortunate One" all we want but that is not what is out there for us if we just believe we can change through His powers of redemption. As Mothers' Day approaches I am sure my single Mom who had to work two jobs just to get us through would be so proud of me, her now Fortunate Son!
 
Thank you CCR for this song, and thank you Mom for showing me how God never gives up on us. We are very fortunate.