Have you ever felt guilty about something you did or did not do in the past? And now years on, you are still left with that guilty feeling? Like a moment when you could have witnessed to someone about Jesus? or merely just tell them who Jesus is in your life?....but then never utter a word and missed an opportunity to point someone to Him? or even worse, your friend asked you about Jesus, or the Bible, or a church activity, and you totally evade from the conversation, instead talked about something else? I've had a lot of that.
"How can you stay so calm on such a situation?"
"Why are you so patient, so peaceful in the midst of this crazy world?"
"What is the difference between your religion and mine? I pray too, I go to church every opportunity I get?"
"Maybe your son will grow to be a pastor someday!"
"Don't you know how to be angry?"
These and some other starting points have been asked of me so many times, and I didn't seem to want to face that moment and answer them. I do not want to be known neither as the "holier than thou" teenager nor the too serious, Bible reading nerdy old-maid looking gal growing up.
All these perfect opportunities to share GOD's Word and His love could have been my very chance to share my faith with others, to lead them to Christ towards their salvation or even to just let His light shine through me. But, I never did. Instead of taking the chance and the opportunity placed in front of me, I folded to my pride and to my fear.
Until I read this memoir called "For All Who Wander" by Robin Dance, that is when I stumbled into this chapter called "Opportunity Lost". On this chapter she basically shared the very same thing I have experienced wherein she was asked a question by a very close friend but instead of taking the opportunity to talk about her life with Jesus, she diverted the conversation into something else. They were very close friends, literally connected by their hips, but why be ashamed of sharing the gospel? This exactly is what brought me back to my own missed opportunities with my friends, my extended family, acquaintances or even people I meet at work everyday. This quote that Robin had at the start of this chapter just describes lost opportunities perfectly.
"Foot falls echo in the memory Down the passage which we did not take Towards the door we never opened." - T.S.Elliot "Burnt Norton"
The truth is, it is only myself who is truly aware of what just happened, what I did, then why am I feeling so guilty about this "missed opportunity" because really the other end of the conversation was just asking a question and probably not expecting me to share the gospel with them. BUT I DO! I know I do!
If you read my last blog about Missionary Maggie titled "Called To Serve", she was my total opposite in a sense. She was determined at an early age that she will serve as an overseas missionary. She studied another language to prepare herself for her calling. She was excited about serving, about sharing God's love to others, she even encouraged us to be everyday missionaries wherever we are or whatever we are doing. Meanwhile, I am trying to run away from any conversation even those opportunities clearly presented to me.
And just like Robin, it has been years past and I am still bothered by these instances that I did not make good use of. On her book I remember her saying "..it was my response (or more accurately, my non-response) that pinched a nerve. Hard. How I made myself feel." Exactly, and years on it still pinch a nerve.
Missed opportunities are those moments you were presented to share the gospel and what it has done to your personal life, and instead of taking the leap to share your faith, you turn around and simply walk away from the opportunity. Thanks Robin for this great book, I think it has helped me look back and reflect on my own missed opportunities then look into the Scriptures for guidance to be a bit more braver; bolder for the Word and for Jesus.
So why do I feel guilty about it? Why should I feel guilty when I am the only one who knows what really happened there? It is because God is convicting me. Conviction is good because this is what happens when we have done something wrong, we feel guilty. We are being convicted by the truths in God's Word. We know that we have taken a wrong move, and so God is making sure we are made aware of it. This is the power of God's Word at work in our lives.
"Conviction is God's way of letting us know when we're about to stumble or are already in sin, and though it stings, it's a gift." - Robin Dance, "For All Who Wander"
What do we do next? We admit our fault, our wrong doing. We repent and ask for forgiveness. Yes, our Father is just who does not love sin, but He is also a Loving Father who gave up His only Son for our redemption. And look at His promise....
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9 (ESV)
At times, missed opportunities can come in the most unknowing, unconscious form. In my life I have had more than one missed opportunity.
CHANCES THAT HAVE PASSED ME BY:
...to share my faith with my friends.
...to live out my faith without shame.
...to introduce Jesus to those who do not know Him personally.
...to love others as I love myself.
On which one did you find your own missed opportunity?
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16–17 (ESV)
On a Bible Study called "LEGACY: How One Ordinary Life Can Make an Eternal Difference" by Jackie Green and Lauren Green McAfee, I remember the character study of the "Woman at the Well". If you can not recall the whole story let us go back to the Scripture on John chapter 4.
Verses 1-7 gives us the background for the story. Jesus and his disciples on their way to Galilee passed through Samaria (NOTE: this is not the usual way any Jew would take to go to Galilee, most of them would rather go the longer way than step into the Samaritan's land. In short, Jews hate Samaritans.). Mind you, they didn't just passed through, they even stopped by one of the town and Jesus sat by Jacob's well to rest while the disciples went to buy food. It was the middle of the day and obviously after a long walk, Jesus must have been tired and really thirsty.
So, when a Samaritan woman came by the well to fetch water, Jesus asked to have some to drink. This is a bold move for a Jew to even stop by Samaria, all the more to talk to a Samaritan and a woman at that! Everything seems to be wrong, against the norm and counter cultural at that time. But hey! when did Jesus ever went with the norm and what the world does? He is always counter cultural!
How did the Samaritan woman reacted? Let's read on further to verses 9-15. What an exchange here between the Samaritan woman and Jesus.
"The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” - John 4:9–10 (ESV)
Jesus initiated the conversation with boldness, but the Samaritan woman did not back-up or turn away instead "she spoke up, questioned him and even challenged him". (Taken from "LEGACY: How Ordinary Life Can Make an Eternal Difference" Bible Study). Both Jesus and the woman at the well showed boldness.
"Biblical boldness is about speaking the truth even when it's unpopular. The bold act without worrying about what other people think or say because they have confidence in following a higher standard. The bold are willing to break with tradition." - Jackie Green and Lauren Green McAfee, authors of LEGACY
Jesus' bold invitation to drink the "living water" is his invitation to accept the gift of salvation. He was offering the living water that will keep you hydrated and never thirst again (vv 13-15) to this Samaritan woman who is known to be living a sinful life (vv 16-18). She asked Jesus about this 'living water' and how a Samaritan like her can avail of it. Her boldness led to further curiosity and to her salvation. She ended up seeking more from the Savior, asking him controversial questions about salvation only for the Jews (vv 19-20). Jesus took this opportunity to respond to this woman's boldness with the truth from the Scripture (vv 21-26). This is such a great moment of salvation for this woman at the well, salvation has come not just to the Jews but to everyone. Her boldness has paid off.
How she reacted to this newfound freedom and great gift of salvation directly from the Savior himself was another proof of boldness. She ran back to town and boldly shared the freedom she found, preached the truth she heard and encouraged the whole town to find and listen to the words of the Savior. She may not have the most credible personality but the light of Jesus shining through her (vv 39-42), they have found Jesus through her. Immediately they noticed something changed in her. This testimony drew a lot of the people from the town to seek this Savior for the non-Jews. They heard from him directly and the people of the town were saved too!
This Samaritan woman's boldness led to her salvation and her faith in Jesus led her to testify about this saving grace to all the others in the town. This started a revival and salvation of this town and was heard from town after town; from one person to another sharing the salvation they have experienced; the truths they heard from Jesus himself. "Your bold faith in response to Jesus can do the same." (LEGACY by Jackie & Lauren Green McAfee)
Biblical boldness is what is asked of me- to live my faith everyday in words and in action, to be an ambassador of the gospel by sharing what I have learned from God's Word to others (hopefully here I am doing that); and to look more like Jesus everyday so that His light may shine to others through me for His glory and for my joy!
"People pay attention when they see that God actually changes persons and set them free. When a new christian stands up and tells how God has revolutionized his or her life, no one dozes off." -Jim Cymbala
I am not asked to drop my life now and travel in a far away country to preach and share GOD's Word, I am merely asked and expected to live out my faith with biblical boldness, not ashamed of the truth of the gospel instead live it with joy and share this joy with others everyday within my family, circle of friends, colleagues and even with perfect strangers. But I can not do this on my own, so Lord I lift this up to you and ask you to teach me daily to develop that biblical boldness in me. Father I rely on your bread of life and the living water that comes from you to sustain me everyday.
I believe the same is asked of you if you are a child of God for we are all given the same Great Commission -
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)
May we all BE BLESSED!