"Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; he has missed his opportunity." - Jeremiah 46:17
Have you ever missed an opportunity? What makes it worse is when you narrowly miss an opportunity. Like, by a nano-second.
The other day, I just knew I had it perfectly timed. After picking up my 14-year-old son from school and getting him home and settled in, I had to go back to church for an early evening meeting. I also needed to get to the bank for both my daughters, and I was sure that, on my way to church, I was going to make it to the bank a minute or two before they closed.
So off I go from my house, and I'm about one minute gone when my cell phone rings. It was one of my kids. And they needed me to immediately do something for them back at the house, which would require me to turn around and go back to the house, do the thing they needed, and then head back to the bank on the way to church.
I quickly calculated the timing in my head.
If I turned around, I was going to miss the bank. And I didn't want to miss the bank. That would mean that I'd need to go to the bank the next day...if I could even make it then...because the next day was already jam-packed, along with the next day and the next day and the next.
I decided I wasn't going to miss the bank. My child would just need to deal with their request going unattended.
I had to get to the bank.
The Holy Spirit thought otherwise.
"Chris, are you crazy?," the Holy Spirit said. "This is your CHIIIIILD! That is the Baaaaaank!"
Ya know, all this stuff is just happening in your head in a nano-second.
I say bank. Holy Spirit says child.
The Holy Spirit won.
So I turned around. I went back to the house in the bounds of the speed limit. I did the thing for my child. I turned around again and thought that maybe I could still make the bank.
It was green lights. All green lights. Eleven green lights. God was vindicating me. I pull around the corner. I see the bank. She's at the door. April is at the door. Starting to lock the door. I pull in next to the door. And I open my door while the car's still rolling because the window doesn't work. And I say to April (as she's cracked the one door to latch the other). I say, "Can you sneak in one last customer?" After all, I know April. I know Jan. I know Kensleigh. I know Amanda and Bethany and Tiffany. Suuuuurely, they can let me in.
"No, Mr. DeGreen, we're closed," April says.
"Unh!" I thought, "I missed my opportunity to get to the bank because the next day was already jam-packed, along with the next day and the next day and the next. And I missed it by a nano-second."
"Uh, nooooooo!" said the Holy Spirit. "But you did almost miss the opportunity to serve your child. The bank will always be there. Your child will not. They grow up...in a nano-second."
Thank you, Holy Spirit.
For reminding me what I tend to forget in a crazy world and a busy life.
Moments.
Requests.
Opportunities.
To do something loving for someone that you love.
Don't miss the opportunity.
It'll be gone. In a nano-second.
"Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; he has missed his opportunity." - Jeremiah 46:17
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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