Life is made up of moments that shape human destiny. These moments can make or mar a person, people, nation or the entire world. Scientists have calibrated moments of our existence into years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds. You may add nanoseconds for more precise measurement and time inputs to advanced technology which hopefully leads to human flourishing.
Human moments are opportunities. Everyday is an opportunity. Everything in life is an opportunity. What you do with your seconds ends up becoming the makeup of your day. Your days become your years. Your years add up to become your history of existence.
The problem with opportunity, as an English proverb has put it is, “opportunity seldom knocks twice.” This simply means you better take any opportunity or chance when it comes because it may not come again. Its value is in its rarity.
Opportunity comes disguised and it is hardly recognized as one. To open the door to opportunity, whether in the pursuit of a great career path, breakthrough innovation in
technology or business opportunity, you have to recognize it first in its veiled form.
Those who can recognize it in its raw form are the miners of the gold of opportunity. They end up being prime movers who take advantage of being there first before copycats climb on board. No wonder the recognition of opportunities is a compulsory course in the curriculum of entrepreneurship and business growth. Even politicians and political strategists mine and take advantage of opportunity to advance their cause.
One huge opportunity came knocking for a man during the events associated with the birth of Jesus. He was the innkeeper of the inn where Joseph sought accommodation for himself and Mary who was pregnant of Jesus and close to the date of delivery.
In addition to a weary four-day bumpy ride on a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph had a heavier burden on his mind; Mary’s “mysterious” pregnancy. A good sleep after a meal at an inn would have assuaged his concerns and given rest to him and his betrothed wife while they awaited the delivery of Mary’s baby.
On arriving at the door of the inn, which remained nameless, the unidentified innkeeper dashed their hope of comfort. “ No room,” he said, possibly slamming the door in their faces.
The innkeeper could only see a man, his pregnant wife and their donkey in need of a room. He did not see God coming to our world as a “helpless baby” looking for a place of birth. He did not see a huge opportunity of writing his name in the history of God’s Son stepping into our world. He couldn’t recognize this divine opportunity because it was dressed in human need; he passed it by. If he did, he would have offered his own personal accommodation to Joseph and Mary.
What the inn and its keeper lost, the manger and its keepers gained.
Christmas season offers numerous opportunities; commercial gain for businessmen, revelry for revelers, church events for the religious, festivities for families and friends, and all. But all of these pale in significance when compared with one huge opportunity; making a personal room for the King, the Christ of Christmas.
Merry Christmas!