Having a go when opportunities to serve God and do good come up.
My oldest daughter has begun to play netball. She loves it. Most of her team are similar to my daughter and are new to the sport. Despite improvements this season, there are still moments when my daughter’s team struggles to understand what to do or is hesitant to chase after the ball or even attempt a shot at the goal. At one moment during the game on the weekend, two of my daughter’s teammates, positioned within the goal zone right under the ring, experienced a dilemma. They had the opportunity to score, but neither wanted to take a shot. So, instead, they continued to pass the ball back and forth to each other, hoping the other would eventually have the courage to shoot at the goal.
Finally, one of the players missed a pass, and the ball proceeded to go out of bounds. It was painful to watch from the side-line. By failing to have a little courage and take the shot, the girls lost the opportunity to score and forfeited the ball to the opposition. Since these girls are still learning to play, it’s understandable for them to make mistakes. Unfortunately, though, Christians can make similar mistakes in spiritual matters. We get ourselves into a situation where we keep passing the ball, so to speak, back and forth, hoping someone will eventually develop the courage or take the responsibility to do something. A visitor comes along to our services, and we look at them and think, hopefully, someone will say hello to them. We hear that someone is not feeling well and wonder, will anyone contact them this week to see if they need anything? A role within the congregation becomes vacant, and we desperately pray someone fills it before we are expected to do it. We see an opening to evangelise but say nothing because we feel someone else is more suited. We see a need within the community and think someone will eventually help. We come up with an idea to serve others, but we hold back, waiting for someone else to take the initiative because we are worried about criticism. Finally, someone gets caught up in sin, and we keep thinking someone needs to speak to them. Unfortunately, by failing to step forward in faith, we can miss wonderful opportunities to serve God and make a difference in someone’s life.
I am reminded of Jesus’ parable about the Samaritan when I think about this. It is mainly about what it means to be a true neighbour and a willingness to cross racial and social boundaries to demonstrate care. But it is also a story about not taking personal responsibility to do good when necessary. By failing to show mercy, the Priest and Levite passed on their duty to another and therefore missed an opportunity to do real work for God. Similarly, the parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-28 is less about skills and abilities and more about the willingness to make the most of opportunities that God gives us to serve Him. In Galatians 6:10, Paul says to the Galatians, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers”.
Of course, doing good always needs to be coupled with wisdom. That said, if you see the opportunity to do good, don’t pass the ball to someone else; take a shot. Your imperfect efforts to serve God and others may be just what is needed to take your faith to another level while making a significant impact for the kingdom.
