Missed Opportunities

Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.              (Luke 14:12-13).

A few nights ago, I went to a baseball game with a friend. As we were walking from the parking garage to the stadium, I noticed a man a couple of blocks away sitting in a wheelchair. I recognized him as a panhandler making the most out of the thousands of people who would be walking by on their way into the game. As I got closer, I noticed that his legs had been amputated above his knees. I do not carry cash with me, so I didn’t have anything to drop in his cup. As we walked by, the verse above came to me very clearly, along with the account in Acts where Peter and John healed a man at the Temple Gates:

‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. (Acts 3:6-8).

As hard as I tried, I really didn’t enjoy the baseball game. It was great that my team won, but all evening long I couldn’t shake the image of that man with the words from Luke and Acts echoing through my head. I thought about what may have happened if I attempted to tell that man to walk in the name of Jesus?! All the possible scenarios played through my head. At the very least, I could have given up my ticket to the game to buy a bag of food and sit with this guy for a couple of hours. I wonder how that would have been received.

In the days since that encounter, I’ve been replaying it all through my head. What did Jesus mean when he said that all who had faith in him would do “greater things?” Would the greater thing for that man be that he may have miraculously grown new legs? Or would it have been that I took the time to sit and listen to his story, sharing a simple meal with him?

All I know at this point is that I believe I missed an opportunity the other night and that breaks my heart. I wish I had been more open to what the Holy Spirit was placing right in front of me that night. I know that future opportunities won’t be as easily missed.

 

 

Writer: Capt. Rob Reardon is an officer of the USA Western Territory currently serving at the USA National Headquarters in the Business Department. While youth ministry and discipleship are his passion, he is willingly taking a sojourn into the dark recesses of business administration. On good days he can be found cultivating relationships over a good cup of java. On bad days he fights the urge to tumble into a deep depression due to the performance (or lack thereof) of his favorite sports teams. Every day he is in his element loving and enjoying God, his family and the life he has been blessed with.

No comments yet.

Leave a comment