When the Patriots lost Superbowl XLVI to the Giants a couple of weeks back, I did some bit of whining and play analysis and concluded that It was simply a game of missed opportunities. Could have, should have, and would haves. And It got me thinking.
How many days and moments in my life have turned into missed opportunities? Sadly, the answer is probably more than I’d like to admit. Every day we are given moments and chances to bring the Gospel to others, whether through or words or our actions. It is our choice to make the most of them or let them pass as missed opportunities.
Of course, there is a down side to good intentions- they are just that unless they are acted upon. For every good intention come a million reasons, er, excuses as to why we can’t, and eventually don’t. And if you’re like me, you’ve also found that the more excuses are made, the easier they are to come by.
As we begin Lent, let us look for the “missed oportunities” we have. The opportunity to befriend an enemy, pray for someone, be there for someone, visit with someone, the list is endless, the ideas are endless.
I’m going to challenge myself each of these days of Lent to have one less missed opportunity. I encourage you all to do it for yourself….. and for others.
Mt 25:34 “Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ’Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ’Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?’ And the king will answer them, ’Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me.’”
2 Replies to “Missed Opportunities”
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Sadly life is full of Missed Opportunities for pretty much all of us. I doubt there is one person in the world that can say he/she hasn’t had Missed Opportunity at some point in his/her life. The key is to learn and move on, that way if any similar opportunities comes up, you won’t make the same mistake 🙂
I am reading Abandonment to Divine Providence. It’s all about how each moment brings opportunity to abandon our self-will and embrace the Divine will, and how we need no special talents, gifts, books or knowledge to live out lives of holiness. We are called to embrace the present moment as God’s will and live each moment with the knowledge that each event (or non-event) or person is our path to heaven. It’s kind of a staggering thought. Actually, I suppose it’s St. Therese’s “little way” brought into every moment of the day. I guess when you look at it that way, I’m missing lots of opportunities, all day, every day. : ) Nice article!