You know - when God closes one door, he opens another, opportunity knocks (presumably on a door), that sorta deal.
Alexander Graham Bell even elaborated on the traditional idea when he said:
When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.
Of course, there is also:
When God closes a door, look for a window.
... which actually seems like an effort to get around God's will, as does the far more extreme:
When God closes a door, grab an axe!
I think of opportunity in a slightly different way. Thanks, in part, to Star Trek.
There is a classic episode of Star Trek from the original series titled City on the Edge of Forever. I won't go into the episode too much, but, if you haven't seen it, you should check it out. It might be the best episode of the entire series.
Anyway, in the episode, the crew comes in contact with the Guardian of Forever.
The Guardian is like a giant gateway through which history can be viewed. It shows various images (through the glory of stock footage) of the Revolutionary War, Ancient Rome, etc., etc., etc.
Well, in the episode, Dr. McCoy is a little out of his mind, and as these images are passing, he leaps into them, travelling back to the past (the 1930's).
I love this image.
In the episode, Kirk and Spock follow, and eventually bring him back. But, that doesn't really have anything to do with what I'm talking about.
The Guardian is what I want to talk about. When the Guardian is displayed different images of history, I kind of thought of that as a better idea of opportunity than a static room or hallway with opening and closing doors.
I prefer to think of us standing at a gateway like that, with various opportunities passing in front of us. Only, we have no control at all over the things in the gate. The opportunities present themselves, some passing by quickly, some lingering, but all finite.
In the gate, we would see little things - the chance to help a friend move, the chance to give to a special missions offering, the chance to make a call to someone we haven't talked to in a while. We would also see big things - the chance to teach a Sunday School Class, the chance to witness to a lost friend, the chance to enter a full time vocation in ministry.
But, we don't wait in silence. We also hear the loving voice of our God, as in the first part of Isaiah 6, verse 8:
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And, we stand there, at that gateway, and watch the opportunities pass by.
Or, we make the leap.
That's what they literally did in Star Trek, and what we, figuratively do in real life. Kirk leaped in to get McCoy back. We take the leap of faith, jumping at the chance to serve the Lord.
That leap is the response, also from Isaiah 6, verse 8:
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Here's hoping that we all have the courage to make that leap toward each of the opportunities that God puts before us.
Type at you later.
(A request - Green Lantern playing baseball. Yep. It takes all kinds.)
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