Not a Wasted Life
By Danny Wira Dharma, Indonesia
Have you ever felt unsure about what to do next, and while you’re deliberating, the clock is ticking, eventually time made the decision for you?
Sounds familiar? Frankly speaking, I experienced that a lot.
While reading Ephesians 5:15-16 recently, I was drawn to one particular word: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (niv).
The wise lives each day seizing every opportunity. The unwise, on the other hand, allows opportunity to slip by.
So then, if we want to be wise, we must first understand what opportunity is.
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines opportunity as “a good chance for advancement or progress.”
In other words, “to make use of every opportunity” is to anticipate goodness, advancement and progress and to take hold of such prospects when they arise.
I recall times where I lived out eight hours without accomplishing anything meaningful. I was executing the plans on my agenda in a mechanical fashion, not anticipating any goodness, advancement or progress. My thoughts were fixated on getting things done and ticking them off my to-do list. In the process, I’ve missed out on opportunities for growth.
Additionally, there is something else about opportunity that we need to know: Opportunities come and go. Though we may sometimes get a second chance, it is always wiser to seize it the first time round.
In the New Century Version, Ephesians 5:16 is rendered as “use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times.”
The opportunities we are called to anticipate and use are for doing good to others. I believe the reason is found in Ephesians 2:10 where we read: “(that we are) created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10).
We cannot change the fact that the days are evil and situation will only get from bad to worse. However, imagine: In this world where most people live for their personal agendas, we are called to make a difference. We are called to seize opportunities for good works—to seek the advancement and progress of another.
So, next time when you are in limbo as to what to do, if it is an opportunity for doing good, seize it! Our use of opportunities may not make the current days good, but it will surely make life good.
For Further Reading:
Poor Choices and Missed Opportunities: The Mistakes of King Saul
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True. Opportunities do not last forever and neither do they wait for anybody. I like Casting crowns song on a prayer for a friend where in one of his verses he sings..
..here I go again mauling about things that won’t last past today,
time is not his friend, this might be my last chance to tell him
that you love him..
I love this song because of its message. Sometimes we tend to pre-occupy ourselves with stuff which in our eyes we see as important yet in actual sense they aren’t. We tend to focus on the spot on the white paper and end up missing the bigger picture. The most important stuff tend to be unseen and unquantified. For instance, helping out someone whose fallen on hard times or just listening to someone whose going through a rough patch. These simple yet often unseen stuff are more valuable than anything. You cannot reverse time to go back and listen to someone who you had previously dismissed cause you were either too busy or their matter did not seem important to you.
These are the opportunities we encounter on a daily basis but tend to ignore them because they are not the sort of opportunities we are looking for, e.g a big break to make it in the music industry etc. Seize every single opportunity, not just for personal growth but for the growth of God’s kingdom. What good news will you bring if you walk into heaven alone? where is the joy in all that?
Every day is a test and apart from the challenges that are thrown our away, God also puts in some opportunities or stepping stones as some people like to call them. What we do with that which he has given is upon us. If you fail to seize the little opportunities which he gives you on a daily basis to expand his kingdom and grow spiritually, then how will you be able to use the ‘bigger’ ones? Reminds me of the story of the talents. Think about it.