Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders,
making the most of the opportunity.
· Colossians 4:5 ·

⇒  My husband glanced at his caller ID, turned off the noisy yard tool, and answered his phone with a warm “hello.” On the other line was a person who he knew did not know Christ and was going through a difficult time.

The man on the other end of the conversation must have asked if it was a good time to talk because the next thing I heard my husband say was, “Sure, this is a great time–what’s going on?”

I searched his face for signs that he may be frustrated from having been interrupted in the middle of trimming hedges and listened for any vocal clues indicating that he was just being cordial (after being married to him for almost 19 years, I can tell these things).

But no–no signs, no clues, no indicators of any kind. He simply moved to the front porch and patiently continued the conversation.

Watching him talk on the phone like it was it the only thing he was doing that afternoon, I know I felt my jaw drop a little bit.

Because I realized that my husband genuinely felt this moment was, indeed, a great time to talk to this gentleman. In fact, he was excited about having an opportunity to listen to the man in need on the other end of the phone and to bring him comfort by sharing the love of Christ.

---

My husband’s actions left me feeling convicted.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to be a task-oriented person: I want to move from Point A to Point B in the quickest way possible or I want to work on the project without interruption until it’s completed (even though this rarely happens with 3 boys in the house).

I love to help and talk with people, but I like to have it planned out not sprung upon me— what I view as an interruption.

How many times has God put an opportunity before me and I have glossed over it because I view it as an interruption?

Am I “making the most of every opportunity” as I am instructed in Colossians 4:5?

Am I taking the time and viewing interruptions from my agenda as God’s opportunities for me to share my faith or the love of God with someone in need?

---

Jesus was the ultimate example of seeing and making the most of every opportunity. Jesus was interrupted plenty during His time on earth, but He would NEVER label them as interruptions:

• When children were brought to Him to be prayed for.
• When a sick man was lowered through the ceiling before Him.
• When the demoniac ran to Him as soon as He stepped off the boat.
• When a crowd came expecting miracles and dinner when he was trying to have some alone time.

The list could go on, but the response Jesus had each time was the same:

He used the “interruption” as an opportunity to demonstrate His love and plan of salvation for mankind.

I want to be more intentional about not seeing interruptions as time away from my plan but as opportunities within God’s plan!