O is for Opportunity

Opportunity is all around us…every single day. We are all given the same 24 hours in a day, the same 7 days a week. What are you doing with the time you’re given? Are you seeking opportunities? Do you recognize an opportunity when it presents itself?

I love the idea that opportunities present themselves every single day, but I’m not sure that we are tuned in to them. You might be wondering about the type of opportunity to which I’m referring. Well, that is going to depend on you. We’re all different so my opportunities are going to look much different than yours.

Opportunities can be anything:

• A job offer
• Witnessing to others
• Moving to a new city or state
• Going on a mission trip
• Teaching Sunday School
• Volunteering for a local event
• Literally opening a door for someone (could be just the right opportunity to let the person know Jesus loves her)
• Actually talking to someone when you checkout at the store – could be the opportunity to bless their day with a kind word.By talking to the man behind him in Lowe’s one day my husband met a future real estate client – closed a deal with him several months after this – ALL BECAUSE HE TALKED TO THE MAN.

Opportunities can also be hidden in the midst of disappointment, sadness, and tragedy, such as:

• Loss of a job, including forced retirement, lay off, termination, downsizing, etc.
• Being passed over for a promotion
• A wayward child
• Loss of property due to burglary, robbery, fire, etc.
• Being mistreated or lied to
• Bankruptcy or other financial problems
• Divorce, separation, or other marital issues
• Death of a loved one

Some of the items on this list are not pleasant and can often be downright painful, but that’s the point.

Opportunities often come when we least expect them and sometimes in the worst of circumstances.

There is an opportunity in each of these situations to:

• Pray for others,
• Be a comfort to others,
• Turn the other cheek (as Jesus told us to do),
• Find a better job
• Be a witness of Christ moving in your life (which is especially true when we’ve suffered a severe loss and are not beaten down by it)
• Work on yourself – working with God to determine where you can better yourself

Personally speaking, we had a great opportunity to witness to others about Christ’s love when we lost our daughter Emma. People were really watching us to see how we would handle her death. While we so deeply sad over Emma’s death, we saw many opportunities to be a light for others, to share the Gospel, and to just watch how God worked it all out. While I wouldn’t want anyone to go through that kind of pain, we also seized the opportunity to really share the Gospel because people were watching and listening.

There are many other opportunities we experience every single day. The ones I listed barely scratch the surface. But, we just have to be open to what they look like. Some opportunities will be easy to see, but others may be very subtle. Pay attention and you’ll notice opportunities you never saw before.