You know, I’m still amazed at what God can do with time. Time to us is finite, and we all know time to God is infinite. Sometimes, when I read the bible, I have to always remember that what we read about usually takes place over hundreds of years. The point being that God takes His time while we measure time in hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, millennia, etc. Maybe if we looked at time, more so, as an opportunity, then maybe we might be able to relate to it and to each other a little more like God does.
If I look at time as an opportunity, then I can actually live in a moment, a beautiful, timeless moment when I take the time to let the Holy Spirit suggest to me that I give more and take less, love more and hate less, listen more and talk less, witness more and fear less.
If you fear looking at how many times a day you have or are given the opportunity to actually do the Lord’s will, you’d probably come away with the notion that the opportunities are endless if we just took the time. Take a moment and think about today. How many times (opportunities) were you given to demonstrate some understanding of faith and the everlasting love of God through the life and death and eternal life of Jesus Christ? I guarantee you that serious consideration of this will reveal a truth that we can all relate to, simply stated as yet another series of “missed” opportunities. In trying to be a Christian, you should be able to relate to this rather easily.We can always do more, be more, share more, and love more.As a matter of fact, the more you try, the more time you seem to have to accomplish more in the name of the Lord. Clearly, when you undertake work on behalf of, or in the name of Jesus Christ, you can give to the homeless, visit the shut-in, forgive those you despise, listen to those who annoy you, witness to those who need to hear your profession of faith, use the gifts God gave you and be a blessing to someone else. Just go back through your day today and consider how many times you could have been a better representative for the faith you so publicly reveal in church on Sunday mornings.
I’m convinced I’ve missed the opportunity to be a better person, a better Christian, probably every minute, hour, day, week, month, year, decade, or perhaps lifetime up to this point. I’d have to say that if I only measured progress according to my understanding of time. If I look at time as an opportunity, then I can actually live in a moment, a beautiful, timeless moment when I take the time to let the Holy Spirit suggest to me that I give more and take less, love more and hate less, listen more and talk less, witness more and fear less. Fewer opportunities will be missed if I understand and accept,“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.”Acts 1:7. My responsibility is to acknowledge, with sincerity, my own shortcomings, ask for forgiveness, and try not to miss the next opportunity to serve. Time is an opportunity. Opportunity is timeless. A lifetime of service can be captured in one single moment of faith. At that moment, your life can change. At that moment of acceptance, your life will change. It will change because, from that point to forever, you will be able to acknowledge all your missed opportunities to be blessed because you consciously chose to be a blessing to someone else. Like I said, on any given day, those opportunities show up time and time again. When the next one does show up, try not to miss it. One thing is for certain. If you do, there’s another one coming. Get ready.
May God bless you and keep you always.
This column is from “Spiritually Speaking: Reflections for and from a New Christian” by James Washington. You can purchase this enlightening book on Amazon and start your journey towards spiritual enlightenment.