Ob Portum Veniens - Coming Towards the Port
In Roman times, sailing large ships was a hazardous business. Many ships were totally dependent upon the wind. If the wind subsided for an extended period, the vessel sat motionless in the water. If the winds were too strong and the ship could not head into them, they could be blown hundreds of miles off course. There was no such thing as sonar, so coming close to land was treacherous. One could sail into hidden rocks or be stranded on an unknown sand bar.
So, it was a big deal when a ship captured a favorable wind and was successfully coming into port. The Romans used a word for a boat coming into port. The process was called “opportunus”. The vessel took advantage of the favorable wind, which safely pushed them to their destination.
The Greek version of this concept is the word “Kairos.” It is used eighty-six times in the New Testament. The authors used the word to describe a fitting, opportune season to harvest something. It also describes a situation where the conditions are right to take critical action. Roman author Horace described the idea by stating, Carpe Diem – seize the day.
One of the sad verses in the Bible is found in Luke 19:44.
44 They will crush you into the ground and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”
Jesus was entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday when He lamented that it was sad that His people did not take advantage of the salvation God was offering them through Himself. The Teacher was weeping when he made this statement.
Do you usually recognize and seize opportunities for advancement? Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t. I would imagine you would say the same thing.
One of my favorite authors, Mark Batterson, makes this statement in his excellent book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. He wisely states, “Our ultimate destiny is determined by whether or not we seize the God-ordained opportunities presented to us.” Carpe Diem, Kairos, Opportunus!
Most opportunities come in small packages, but small packages yield significant results over time.
Last week, I noticed something truly remarkable. I have been actively writing for nearly four years. The Grammarly program checks my sentences for proper grammar, wording, and language use. I consider the little green “G” on the home bar of Word, my savior. This program not only tells you what you did wrong, but it reports on repeated mistakes, the tone of the writing, the variety of words used, and how many total words it has checked over time.
To date, Grammarly has checked 1,028,318 words! Though this figure proves that I really am full of it, the number also brings me great pleasure. It means that I have written most days for four years straight, and a writer’s gotta write. One word, one paragraph, one chapter, one article at a time, I took advantage of one little opportunity after another. My words add up to 208 blog articles, one completed book, and two partial books in the process. Throughout this adventure, I’ve learned a lot about good writing and gathered mountains of information from research for all this material.
Opportunities come in small packages, but small packages unwrapped turn into big results.
We tend to think of seizing the day in significant terms as if tremendous opportunities come our way daily, but that’s not how it works. Make no mistake, outstanding opportunities happen, but they are usually the result of taking advantage of incremental processes to the point where something genuinely significant is set before us.
I now hold a book in my hands with my name on it because I seized daily opportunities to make a dream come true. By the way, I am not tooting my horn. My book is no “War and Peace,” but the work might help a few folks better their leadership chops. This process is a good illustration of how we can seize the day.
It is easy to lament that opportunities do not present themselves often enough. Bologna! God-sized opportunities are around us all the time, but only for those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and the courage to grasp the Kairos. God was standing right in front of the Jewish leaders, and they didn’t even see the opportunity, much less seize it.
Many studies of older people and those nearing death’s door conclude that we tend to regret things we didn’t do more than those we did. I want to inspire you to take advantage and enjoy the possibilities all around you. Here are some hints to perfecting this art.
· Live prayerfully.
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2)
Starting your day with some time with the Almighty puts you in tune with His Spirit, who leads you throughout the day. Then, chatting with God throughout the day helps keep up your opportunity radar. Stop making prayer formal and make it a conversation with God.
· Big opportunities come in small packages.
10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (Zachariah 4:10)
Zerubbabel was about to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and God explained to Zechariah how this would happen. It would start small. Do not be discouraged when seemingly tiny opportunities present themselves. God may have much larger plans for you afterward to take advantage of what is directly in front of you. Do what you can with what He gives you – today. Remember, Jesus said that the person who is faithful with a little will be given much.
· Opportunities are often hidden in problems.
2 Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. (Acts 3:2a)
Peter had just healed a man in the temple, which drew a large crowd. With that, the bold Apostle saw an opportunity which he took. But, amid his preaching, the Jewish leaders confronted him and John and arrested them. Their arrest only solidified their determination to spread the Gospel. Before the day was over, the Christian community had grown to an astounding 5,000 men.
Do not shun opposition and struggle. Resistance can make you stronger and open the door to new vistas.
· Some opportunities are downright scary. Take a chance.
“Then I was terrified . . .” (Nehemiah 2:2b)
These were the words of Nehemiah who was standing before King Artaxerxes about to ask for the resources to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. It took some real chutzpah to make this request. It could have gotten the cupbearer killed. But he prayed and asked anyway. A few months later, the walls stood proudly around the Holy City.
Gazing out of the window of opportunity, you will sometimes see scary things. But go to the door and step into it anyway. Remember: Near the end of our lives, we usually regret things we did not do, not things we did. Carpe Diem!
· Thankfulness breeds opportunity.
25 Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. (Acts 16:25)
Paul and Silas had been placed in chains in the deepest chambers of the prison for driving a demon from a girl who the owners were abusing to make money. While they were awaiting trial and likely death or at least flogging, they decided to thank God for the opportunity to suffer.
Their thankful spirit opened doors for them to seize a chance to share God’s love with their captors. The jailor and his family were saved, and Paul and Silas were released.
Thankfulness keeps your eyes and ears open for Kairos. Never, ever, stop thanking God.
Moses decided one day to find out the real condition of his Hebrew brethren, who were slaves to the Egyptians. He was appalled. But the son of Pharoah’s daughter had a gnawing inside him and wanted to do something for his people. He ended up killing a man and had to run 700 miles to avoid the death penalty for his crime. Saving his people would have to wait – forty years!
The man who wanted to save his people waited forty years until one day; he encountered a burning bush that talked. The speaker was God, and he wanted the shepherd to return to Egypt to save the Hebrews. Moses was not cooperative. He had no desire to return to Egypt and face Pharoah, so he argued with God about it. Guess who won that argument?
Opportunity came knocking to this man when he least expected it. His initial reaction was to write it off and move on. But God convinced Moses to fulfill his destiny, and the rest is history.
Perhaps an opportunity is knocking at your door, but you look out the window, and it looks mighty scary. The knocking continues night and day. God is relentless. Maybe it is time to take a chance.
Carpe Diem, Kairos, Opportunus!
Live Inspired!
Don Mark
