Sometimes the knock of opportunity is so quiet that we miss it altogether. Or it’s so loud that it scares us and we run for cover. Either way, when opportunity knocks – will we open the door?
From the first lesson in this series we have been encouraged to look for growth and spiritual awakening in small things – line upon line, here a little, there a little – in the kind word, in the smile, or small generosity of spirit as we go about our daily lives. These are the little, quiet opportunities that we often take for granted and miss out on entirely if we get too caught up in the seemingly big, important parts of life.
When we don’t pay attention to the little opportunities that are abundantly offered, we can get a real wake-up call. Sometimes it takes a crisis to focus consciousness on what really matters in life.
Medical emergencies, financial ruin, marital strife, mental breakdowns – these are just some of the crises that intrude on our lives – unwelcome and resisted. Yet it is in the extremes that we may find God patiently waiting. Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.
We see this when disaster and calamity strike. Major crises tend to bring out the best in people – and the worst, to be sure. But that in itself enhances the opportunity for growth - if we can see it as such.
If the earth experience is like a classroom for the soul, a severe opportunity can be taken as a test. If we pass it, we move on. If we fail, we get as many opportunities as needed until the lesson is learned.
When an opportunity sounds too good to be true, more often than not, it probably is. The book of Revelation, the last book in the Christian bible, contains a wonderful symbolic representation of the transformational power of spiritual opportunities that are just too sweet to pass up.
In John’s vision, an angel offers him a little book and tells him to eat it. The book is sweet in the mouth but bitter in the belly. The Edgar Cayce readings interpret this sequence as the process of spiritual initiation.
As we progress along the spiritual path, we encounter opportunities to practice spirituality. Pondering spiritual attributes is sweet in mind to think about and sweet in the mouth to talk about, but when we have to live spiritual truth in our daily lives, it can become quite bitter.
Its about purification – being purged of impurities at a soul level. There may eventually be gold in the opportunity, but it might feel like you are being purged of drosses – like the smelting of crude ore in a furnace.
It does no good to dwell on the missed opportunities of the past. If you are like most human beings, you have probably been a little depressed or discouraged and found yourself reminiscing over missed opportunities – you know, the one that got away – whether a sweet business deal or even sweeter sweetheart. Just let it go.
If you are paying any attention to the lessons so far, you have to realize that there is no shortage of opportunities – the only real shortage is lack of awareness or fear of trying. Life is on purpose. The abundant lessons of life are opportunities for growth and development. And each lesson is exactly what you need to learn at that point in your life.
There is only the eternal now. No opportunity is ever really missed if you practice patience in space and time.