Opportunities

“When we are preoccupied, we cannot see things clearly. We misjudge people and situations. We miss out on opportunities to grow closer or to guide people closer to God. Preoccupation means that our heart is not open and our intellect is full of ‘wise’ rubbish.” (Bishop Emilianos)

“God’s mercies are “new to us every morning” (OSB Lamentations 3:24). So is His call to discipleship. The Lord said, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (OSB Matthew 6:34). As we should not worry about tomorrow, we should not fret about yesterday. All of us experience disappointments. Some are clearly our fault. Others are not. Yet God is in charge. The Lord is kind and forgiving, and He governs all things. So then, let us put our failings behind us and look forward to new opportunities to live and serve the Lord.” (Fr. Basil)

“The fact is we cannot relive our past and change what has been done, so we should not waste time on cherished fantasies or vain regrets. It is because we cannot go back and do it over that Christ said, "Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62). We need to remember, however, that it is well within our power to change the present and future course of our lives. In doing so, we also insure that in looking back, we will have no regrets over missed opportunities. In this regard, it might be helpful for us to remember a wonderful easter proverb which tells us that "yesterday is already a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision, but today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope." It is what we do today that counts.” (Rev. Andrew Demotses)

“We will find our salvation not by giving ourselves to any of the false gods of this world, but by taking up the crosses that are so obviously present in our lives each day. We must not be distracted by idealistic dreams of any kind that divert our attention from faithfulness in the opportunities for obedience that are right before us. For example, no one else is married to your spouse, is the father or mother of your children, or is the particular friend, worker, or parishioner that you are. No one else has the vocation to serve Christ in those around you in the unique way that you do. No one else can resist your temptations or keep a close watch on the thoughts of your heart. The present circumstances of our lives present limitless opportunities to become fully receptive to the presence and peace of Holy Spirit. None of us lacks anything at all that is necessary to grow in holiness, obey Christ’s calling, and draw others into the life of the Kingdom.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)

“Whoever wants to come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). The gift and the challenge to follow Jesus through a life of faith and works coincide. The reception of the gift of salvation is not a one-time event but a life-time process. St. Paul employs the verb “to save” (sozesthai) in the past tense (“we have been saved,” Rom 8:24; Eph 2:5); in the present tense (“we are being saved,” 1 Cor 1:18; 15:2), and in the future tense (“we will be saved,” Rom 5:10). He can think even of justification as a future event and part of the final judgment (Rom 2:13, 16). For Paul, Christians are involved in a lifetime covenant with God in which we work, planting and watering, but it is “only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor 3:7). We are “co-workers with God” (synergoi Theou, 1 Cor 3:9; 1 Thess 3:2). (Not “co-workers under God” as some translations would have it). The mystery of salvation is a duet, not a solo. It is a life-time engagement with God. It has ups and downs, twists and turns, with opportunities to grow in the love of God, knowing that we can turn to Him again and again and receive forgiveness and a new birth.” (Fr. Theodore Stylianopoulos)

“When the disciples first heard Christ say “Follow Me,” they were doing their daily work as fishermen. Let us not think that His calling is esoteric or removed from the mundane realities of life. We have no lack of opportunities to answer His call in our families, workplaces, friendships, and neighborhoods, as well as in this small parish. No one else is married to your spouse, is the father or mother of your children, or is the particular friend, worker, or parishioner that you are. No one else has the vocation to serve Christ in those around you in the unique way that you do. The present circumstances of our lives present limitless opportunities to become fully receptive to the presence and peace of Holy Spirit. None of us lacks anything necessary to grow in holiness, obey Christ’s calling, and draw others into the life of the Kingdom. In other words, we have everything that we need to follow in the path of the apostles and saints in humbly obeying our Lord. That is how we can become radiant with the divine glory and obey the Savior’s calling: “Follow Me.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)

“If you think you are becoming “disturbed” by people or by external circumstances, you have not understood your work aright: everything that at first glance appears disturbing is really given as an opportunity for practice in tolerance, patience and obedience. The humble man cannot be disturbed, he can only disturb.” (Tito Colliander)

“God can use even our faults and mistakes for His purposes. While we live here on earth, God is never finished with us. We must believe that there are still more opportunities, challenges, and work ahead of us. So instead of looking backward, we should look forward, asking the Lord to reveal His calling for us now in the present…All of us experience disappointments. Some are clearly our fault. Others are not. Yet God is in charge. The Lord is kind and forgiving, and He governs all things. So then, let us put our failings behind us and look forward to new opportunities to live and serve the Lord.” (Fr. Basil)

“Regret includes a desire—we wish we could have done something better. However, healthy regret leaves room for a sense of acceptance: acceptance that we made a mistake, that God is good and loving, and that we will have opportunities to correct our mistake.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)

“If you consider only a portion of the curve of your life, you can easily have the impression that is a meaningless failure, a tragic loss. Look, rather, at the entire line of your life with a confidence inspired by love. In this perspective, death itself, however great its importance, is only a moment, only a point on the curve. Love never dies. Nothing truly marked by love is ever lost. “The doorway of Hope is open before you, and no one can ever close it. What is this doorway like? It is the doorway of possibility that Love offers you at every moment. You trouble yourself over the missed opportunities of your life. At times you say to yourself, “Oh, if only I had known! Oh, if only I had done this or that differently. If only I could do it all over again!” We cannot redo what is already done. Yes, of course there have been missed opportunities. They are gone for good. But those lost possibilities are nothing in comparison with what is before you right now…The door of present possibility, which is also the door of Hope, is open before you at every instant.” (Archimandrite Lev Gillet)

“If we were but more attentive, we would soon discover that the normal conditions of everyday life offer many opportunities for us to recognize our weaknesses, and to acknowledge our dependence upon God. As we advance in years, for example, and begin to experience the physical weakness that inevitably result, we suddenly confront how fragile our mortal body truly is, in spite of our culture with its fixation on youthfulness and longevity. But we must acknowledge that it is most often times of crises such as these which most clearly expose our weaknesses, and inspire the kind of fervent prayer answered literally by miracles.” (Fr. Andrew Demotses)

“We are all continually faced with a series of great opportunities, brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems…There are remarkable opportunities for God to exert himself. He works best when people’s lives are messy and out of whack.” (John Gardner, David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons)

“By keeping our souls and bodies pure, by not even accepting corrupted thoughts, we maintain the ability to hear and communicate with God and thus learn how to live in conformity to His will. If we have long ago lost our mental, spiritual, and/ or physical purity, we have the opportunity to restore them through confession and repentance.” (Constantina R. Palmer)

“…when Jesus asked the three Disciples to watch while He went yonder to pray, that the “intention” of the Disciples was to do exactly that, to watch. I don’t think Jesus left their company and immediately they started saying “He’ll be gone awhile, why not catch a few zzz’s?” I’m positive that they started out with the best of intentions in their spirits, but their bodies just didn’t keep up, and they fell asleep. The spiritual opportunity lost out to a material concern.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)

“God's grace does not cancel out free will. “And by this testimony we can clearly see what we ought to ascribe to free will, and what to the design and daily assistance of the Lord, that it belongs to divine grace to give us opportunities of salvation and prosperous undertakings and victory; but that it is ours to follow up the blessings God gives us with either earnestness or indifference.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Deuteronomy 7:1-3, St. John Cassian)

"There are many spiritual opportunities. These opportunities are not hidden. We know what they are. We know what the right thing is to do, yet many times material concerns override our desire to do the right thing. How many times have people opted to sleep late rather than go to church? How many times have we forgotten to pray? Or we’ve said that we’ll pray, but we put it off, and before we know it the day has gone by and no prayer has been said?...Every day has 24 hours filled with opportunities to grow, serve, and be productive. Yet it is so easy to waste time, letting life slip from our grasp.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis, Life Application Study Bible, Proverbs 10:4-5)

"Whenever we encounter a temptation or a sinful passion, it is a call to prayer, and an opportunity to transform our energies and channel them into positive and life-giving alternatives." (Archimandrite Sergius)

“God brings into our lives people who aggravate us, irritate us, and inflame our passions, giving us opportunities for suffering love. We do not need go to far places in order to seek out suffering, for He allows it to come to us in our daily circumstances: our residence, financial agreements, social and professional relationships, and parish life.” (OCPM 3/19/2017)

“We shouldn’t view our struggles or problems as a bad thing just because they don’t feel good at the time. A wise elderly woman once told me all problems are an opportunity for growth. The obstacles we think are derailing can sometimes be the catalyst for our growth or movement in a direction we need to be going.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)

"Today I need not be discouraged or dragged down by any of yesterday’s failings; for example, if I missed an opportunity to be helpful or just friendly to someone at the office, or if I wasted time or money, or blabbered thoughtlessly in conversations with friends, rather than listening to what they had to say. I can turn all these mistakes into assets, by taking note of them and handing them over to God’s mercy, humbly asking Him for His wisdom and grace, to do a bit better today." (Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin)

#FrStavrosNAkrotirianakis #ArchimandriteSergius #SacramentalLivingMinistries #SrDrVassaLarin #JohnGardner #DavidKinnamanGabeLyons #ConstantinaRPalmer #OrthodoxStudyBible #StJohnCassian #FrPhilipLeMasters #TitoColliander #FrBasil #FrJoshuaMakoul #ArchimandriteLevGillet #BishopEmilianos #RevAndrewDemotses #FrTheodoreStylianopoulos