opportunity

When I worked at Deloitte, partners would often tell me they had an opportunity for me. “Opportunity” became the code word for “big mess of a client.” These opportunities could be challenging for many reasons, but in all cases, they required skill, creativity, and perseverance. I also needed to effectively manage my team, client, and partner – all while staying on a budget and making deadlines.

The experiences helped me excel in my career. I acquired the ability to identify root causes while keeping the big picture in mind. I maneuvered my way through difficult and sensitive conversations. I learned a lot in these opportunities.

But there were many times I was willing to not learn anything for a while. I didn’t want opportunity to come knocking.

Life is this way, too. We learn much and grow deeply in times of “opportunity” in a way we can’t when life is easy and as expected. I know the profound truth of hope through my journey with depression that I couldn’t know before. I know God’s sovereignty over time because of seasons of overwhelming responsibility. I know the delicateness of life and health because of sudden and serious illness.

I know how God prepares us in little ways for what the future holds. I know the small graces God provides in times of need that remind me of God’s faithfulness.

But there are times when I tell God I don’t want to grow any deeper in my faith for just a little while. I want life to be easy and uncomplicated for a minute.

I don’t believe that God hands us over to times of suffering simply for us to grow in our faith. I believe that sometimes we’re given more suffering than we can handle. However, I do believe that God is with us in the midst of our suffering, suffering along with us. I believe that God can redeem our suffering for a greater purpose.

When life is easy and going well, may we remember to tend our faith. For the time will come when “opportunity” will knock and we will find ourselves in the deep end.

May the Spirit give us the eyes to see the small graces God provides in our times of suffering. And when joy comes in the morning after a night of weeping, may we pray for the clarity to comprehend what we have learned – both for the deepening of our own faith and so that we may share it with others. May faith and hope persevere knowing that we are held in God’s love.

And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. – Romans 5:3-5 (NRSV)

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It’s Five Minute Friday. You can read more on today’s prompt here.