Opportunities

             Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

 

            “Making the most of every opportunity.” They used to talk about opportunity knocking. It might not have been a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but if you didn’t open that door, it would stride away and you’d never have another. And there are opportunities that may never come again, but the truth of the matter is that opportunities are all around us, all the time. Most are tiny. They might not be trivial, but we tend to treat them as if they are. We have the opportunity to breathe and to live this second. If that opportunity were taken away, we’d very quickly realize how important they are.  Most of the time, we don’t pay attention. And that’s one of the problems. We need to open our eyes and realize that there are opportunities.  

            The second problem with opportunities is that we don’t really want them – or at least not the one we think we’re being offered. We run away from them. The third problem is that we are so excited by “all these opportunities” that we miss the greater opportunities.

            Making the most of every opportunity, then, involves wisely choosing the best opportunities available at the time, and not running away or getting distracted.