Opportunities Require Discernment

Excerpted from this week's "Monday Manna" from CBMC by Robert J. Tamasy

"When opportunity knocks, be certain to answer the door!" This is sound advice, without question, but it should come with a word of caution: Just because an opportunity presents itself, it is not necessarily the right opportunity for you.

There are other times when opportunities need to be considered in terms of your own limited time and personal resources. It’s not that an opportunity is wrong or bad; it simply may require more energy than you can give to it, or it may prevent you from acting upon even more suitable opportunities. Oswald Chambers, in My Utmost For His Highest, writes, "The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best" (May 25).

What a striking thought: Good being the enemy of the best! If this statement is true, how do we distinguish good opportunities that come our way from the best opportunities? Particularly because what is merely good for one person, based on his or her interests, skills and gifts, would be the best endeavor for someone else? For instance, assuming a key leadership role in a volunteer organization may prove ideal for one individual, while the same role could cause great frustration for someone else with equal ability whose interests lie elsewhere.

In addressing any area of uncertainty in life, including enticing opportunities, careful discernment is indispensable.

Think through opportunities carefully before acting on them. When a new situation seems appealing, especially compared with what we presently are involved with, we can easily respond impulsively, without thinking through all the possible ramifications. The best time to correct a bad decision is before you make it.

"The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception."
Proverbs 14:8

"A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps."
Proverbs 14:15

Consider opportunities rationally; don’t let your ego get in the way. "You would be the perfect person for the job!" Has anyone said something like this to you? It’s flattering to hear such things, but no one knows you as well as you do. Sometimes people offer such encouragement to persuade, knowing a job needs to be done -- and you seem to be the only one available to do it. Don’t be swayed by words that puff up your ego.

"The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly."
Proverbs 15:14

Sometimes the best opportunity is the one you are already engaged in. Many of us like variety, and in any job there are times when it seems boring and routine. At such times we may start thinking about doing something new and fresh and different. But if not carefully evaluated, a drastic change can prove disastrous.

"A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth."
Proverbs 17:24

Radical Here & Now

Resting partway between the River Dave, and the Lake of Brendar is the small hamlet of Gar.  Oh look!  The village idiot is about to say something...
 
So what exactly does obedience to God's call look like?  Do we sometimes say yes to the radical for self-serving motivations?  Perhaps we struggle with the desire to nurture our complacent status quo, unwilling to take a risk?  “Yup” twice.
 
I am thinking that we need to start with obedience to where God has put us, and openness to where he is going.  We need to be willing.  Willing to give everything.  Willing to take action.  Attentive to our situation right now.
 
Jeremy (6) has an older sister Katie (8) who was not progressing well in her fight against Polycystic Kidney Disease.  One of her kidneys had failed, the other was close to failure, and she was increasingly dependent on dialysis.  Katie's physicians had come to the conclusion that her best chance for survival was to receive a new kidney from a compatible donor.
 
After months of waiting, a suitable donor could not be found, and Katie's condition became grave.  It had been discovered shortly into this process that Jeremy was a perfect candidate for donation.  The operation presented some risks to both children, but the chances of survival were very optimistic.
 
Jeremy's parents asked him at home if he would be willing to donate a kidney to his little sister, so that she could move off the machine, and have a better chance to get well.  Jeremy thought carefully about the proposition, and after only a few moments decided yes -- definitely, he wanted to donate to his sister that he loved so much.  His parents were pleased, and somewhat surprised that he was so willing.  The arrangements were made.
 
The morning of the transplant, Katie and Jeremy were talked through the procedure as much as reasonable for children of their age, and after kisses and some tears, Katie was sedated first.  Jeremy's parents then thanked him again and kissed him as he lay waiting for his anesthesia.  He then turned to his mother and asked with simple acceptance, "Mommy, is this when I die?"
 
His parents were completely stunned at the misunderstanding, but so much more at Jeremy's willingness to give his life for his sister -- and so unselfishly!  They emphatically reassured him that he was not going to die, and that this was just a way for Jeremy to help his sister.  He quietly replied, "ok," and was put to sleep.
 
His parents and the attending hospital staff never forgot that amazing demonstration of unconditional, self-sacrificial love. 
 
Maybe you know that story.  I'm sure I butchered it.  No clue if it is true or not.  But it speaks to me -- and maybe it speaks to this issue.

Think it Your Way

We can't help but see the world through the lens of our own experience, understanding, and existing beliefs.  Faith is no different -- unless God decides to intervene and reveal himself.  Fortunately he does this, but his interventions are also in this same category.  We can understand truth only in the context of what we already believe to be true.  What are those assumptions?  How do we discern when "revelations" are from God, and not our own ideas ... or perhaps from a darker source?

"In essentials, unity ..."  -- Amen!  But who decides what issues are essential?  As modern (or post-modern) Americans, we all take up that responsibility individually.  At least we like to think that.  This seems a bit contradictory.  If we ultimately see ourselves as responsible for discerning the voice of the Spirit in matters of truth, there really is no purely external rule we apply to our beliefs, since every apparent external rule (scripture, history, etc.) is subject to our own understanding and interpretation -- or more precisely: the understanding of those who taught us.  Are we (they) correct?  How do we know?

I have a friend who is going through a painful separation from his wife.  It appears to me that this is his decision, and he is experiencing the consequenses.  His primary reason for doing this is that he feels compelled to understand and re-think why he believes what he does.  Much of his beliefs have previously seemed to him to be built on foundational assumptions that he does not see the basis for.

His story is dramatic, and if I am honest with him, his response to his own questioning is quite selfish, but in an important way, his questions are quite valid.

To blog or not ...

I have very few meaningful thoughts to share, so I am apparently a superior candidate for blogdom.

I have read several other blogs, and found that we are all putting good effort into making our thoughts known. We are all like this, I think. We need to be known. I experience tremendous stress when I feel misunderstood. I suppose that's common. I feel very comforted when I sense I have been understood. This is not a middle-school phenomenon -- we just get better at hiding it or lying to ourselves about it as we age -- though some geriatrics don't give a rip what people think anymore. Looking forward to that stage of life!