Grabbing the Opportunity

Last night Rachel and I went for a meal to The Ship; we haven’t been there for several years. New owners took it on last year, and we’d heard good reports…

A young man sitting at the bar said ‘Hello’, with a smile, ‘It’s good to see you!’ I had to do rapid thinking. Who was it? Fortunately I remembered… Carl! Thirty years ago as a small boy, the son of a neighbour, he’d climb over the garden wall to fetch it his ball.

‘Hello Carl,’ I said, ‘What are you doing these days? Where are you living?’

‘Here!’ he said. He explained… Carl and his partner, Donna, moved into The Ship last year with their two children, and were running a successful business.

They’d seen an opportunity and grabbed it! …And we enjoyed a really good meal.

This morning, I read about Moses and the Israelites. Their God has helped them to escape from slavery in Egypt; He’s giving them food each day; He’s promised them a ‘Promised Land’.

Moses sends out twelve spies who discover a land of figs and pomegranates, grapes in huge bunches, a ‘land flowing in milk and honey’.

Caleb and Joshua say, ‘Here’s an opportunity. Let’s grab it!’ The other ten men say that the people there are too big, strong and powerful. Grumbling and groaning, they focus on the problems and forget their God’s past achievements. It becomes an ‘ungrabbed’ opportunity.

Jesus told the well-known story of the boy who selfishly abandons his good home, wastes his family wealth, brings shame to his family, and finally decides to return home, a disgrace and a failure.

His loving father comes out to greet him. The Son can turn and walk away from what could be an embarrassing encounter. Instead both father and son grab the opportunity. There’s forgiveness, reconciliation.

Musing… Grabbing my opportunities… gratefully remembering past achievements with my God… not dwelling on past failures… discovering my ‘Promised Land’… focusing on opportunities for forgiveness and reconciliation.