Missed Opportunities

By Dave Canfield

While walking to work one morning, I had grabbed a cup of coffee and a biscuit from the breakfast table before making my way out the front door. Food in hand, I noticed a homeless man who had spent the night in our lobby. He seemed to take no notice of me. As I rushed by I thought, "I should say good morning." But no sooner had I thought this when another meaner thought arose: "If you do, he'll probably ask you for your food. Better to leave well enough alone."

Perhaps I would have given this no more thought, but after crossing the street I saw a blackbird skittering its way over the sidewalk looking for food. I casually ripped off a piece of my biscuit and threw it in the bird's direction. Of course the startled bird took wing and never even realized it had missed a banquet.

Never mind that one was a bird and one was a man. The plain truth is these were both missed opportunities to share. I'm sure that homeless man, probably used to being ignored, didn't miss my good morning, or even my biscuit, much. But I missed yet another chance to stifle that mean-spirited, spoiled child within.

The bird brought to mind the way I shared the gospel with others in my early Christian days. Never mind who they were, where they were from, or what might be the best way to approach them. Here was good bread. Hey you, look out!! Truth incooooming!! I gained few converts this way but saw a lot of bread left scattered on the sidewalk.

So as an older Christian I am too cold, and as a young Christian I was too hot.

Isn't it amazing how easy it sounds to share the gospel, and yet how hard we make it? I suppose a lot of this has to do with how much time and energy we are willing to devote to this task. To take the energy of youth and temper it with the wisdom of maturity means seeking how best to share because we see our own need to share. And one of God's most precious gifts to us who seek to do His will is that each missed opportunity becomes, when recognized, a reminder of our need to share.

And with the realization of each failure and the lifting of the heart in repentance comes the startling knowledge (and only then are we ready to hear it full force--like bread chucked to a starving bird) that we are forgiven. Life for the Christian is like having the best mentor in the world always close by your side, always ready to say, "All right. You missed that. What's to be learned? Move on. I see another opportunity up ahead." What greater motivator could there possibly be? It is this most exciting thing about our Christian life--this discovery that we are unencumbered by missed opportunities. To truly realize this is to "take up our mat and walk"; we may stumble, but we will never be lame again.

What is your missed opportunity? The chance to do the right thing? To love the unlovable? To ask for or offer forgiveness to another? Our sins and failures are many, but to each of us Jesus says, "Take up your mat and walk. I see glorious opportunity up ahead!"

First published in Cornerstone (ISSN 0275-2743), Vol. 29, Issue 118 (2000), p. 11
© 2000 Cornerstone Communications, Inc.
Electronic version may contain minor changes and corrections from printed version.