“Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15)
I have been thinking about the opportunities I have every day to make the world a slightly better place, and to make myself a better person.
MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
For the last 30 days we have gone to the hospital every day for Debbie to receive
radiation treatments. Once we are at the hospital we have to wait. Most of the time we don’t wait too long, but there have been a couple of days when we have waited close to an hour for our number to be called, and then Willy Nelson and I wait for about twenty minutes while Debbie undergoes her treatment. This waiting is filled with opportunities. Willy Nelson and I have had the opportunity to meet, chat with, and encourage others who are waiting. Some days the waiting room is empty, and sometimes it is clear that others don’t want to engage with us, but we love taking the opportunity when it is presented to us.
The hospital where we go for treatment offers a free valet service, which has really been helpful to us. The hospital in Cheyenne offered this service as well, but the parking lot was so small, and we were able to park so close to the door, there was really no need to use it. Here it has been a life saver. I have gone out of my way to learn the names and a little bit about the folks who park our car, and I have done my best to express our gratitude. On our last day I gave them a sizable tip, once again expressed my appreciation, and they all cheered for us as we pulled away. In some very small way, I believe I took the opportunity to make their lives just a fraction better.
When Jesus saw the crowds “He felt compassion because they were harassed and helpless like a sheep without a shepherd.”(Matthew 9:36) As I look at the mass of people in our new city, I see people who are harassed, stressed, anxious, and stuck in traffic while rushing to an appointment. In my new city, I am surrounded by opportunities to minister to others.
MAKING MYSELF A BETTER PERSON
I also see numerous opportunities to make myself a slightly better person. Our hospital is close to where we live, only six miles. But these are six city miles, not six Cheyenne miles. In Cheyenne we could cover six miles in any direction in ten minutes or less. Here in Aurora, we have never made the trip in less than 30 minutes, and often it has been 45 or 50 minutes. Most of the time it is stop-and-go for a few feet, and then stop again. I can take this opportunity to talk with Debbie or listen to a podcast or sermon. Being in traffic doesn’t have to be a waste of time. Being in traffic offers me an opportunity! I acknowledge that I have this opportunity because I have few competing activities and, although frustrating, I have the time, others are not always so fortunate.
Some of my memory verses
On days when we are alone in the waiting room there is the opportunity to review my memory verses and read. I find great encouragement in memorizing and reviewing verses in the Bible which have been so dear to me for so many years. I have also had time to read. In the last two weeks I have reread Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl. This has been very encouraging to me as I reflect on how, regardless of our circumstances, our happiness and mental state is largely a result of how we choose to think. If Frankl could find meaning in Auschwitz, I can certainly find it in my circumstances if I choose to.
Being in the city provides many opportunities to wait in line. Yesterday we were at the DMV getting Colorado Driver’s Licenses. I was prepared to wait and was reviewing 1 Peter 4:12-19 (ESV), “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” Waiting at the DMV is certainly not a “fiery trial,” but it was crowded, and it wasn’t pleasant. Meditating on this verse forced me to turn my focus on Jesus and NOT the long line in front of me.
I don’t always make the most of every opportunity. There are times I forget to take my memory verses or a book and miss an opportunity to work on my soul. And there are times I am annoyed by a long wait in some line which I feel is unnecessary, and I am not as friendly as I should be to the customer service representative who is trying to help me. And more than once, since moving to the big city, I have been in traffic and only gotten angry and stressed.
I will never make the most of every opportunity I have; I am human and sometimes I will see them, other times I will ignore them. But it is my goal to see the opportunities I have–opportunities to make the world better,and opportunities to improve my soul–and make the most of them. Today I pray that you, too, will see the opportunities you have and take advantage of them.
