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Having the privilege to be invited back to the island for ministry is no small opportunity. Just getting to the island from Upper Michigan is almost insurmountable for most, and without the church’s support we couldn’t make it happen.
The time we have is the only time we have, and immediately as the plane touches down, the clock starts to tick. I knew it would take intentionality to maximize the time we were now given to serve again on Eleuthera.
For me this meant, early mornings and late nights, little rest and a fervency towards embracing ministry opportunities as they came my way. I was honored to have opportunity for more counseling than I’ve ever done on Eleuthera before, and I was invited to speak with other church youth groups beyond our original booking. Back at the school, I was handed a punch list of to-do items, and it didn’t take me long to find my own opportunities to repair and upgrade the campus.
However, our time is limited. On Wednesdays I would speak at our old church in Palmetto Point, but for the previous hours in that day I would work at Windermere. But you can’t fight the setting sun. At one point as the evening service approached, I still had more items on my to-do list, but it was dark outside. This meant running a drill by the flickering light of my cell phone as I navigated Micah around to the right corners to see what I was doing. Then it was the world’s fastest clean up and change for church, while speeding down the highway as to not be late. Then the hour and a half drive back to Spanish Wells and a ferry ride over to the island, to start up the next day all over again.
The Apostle Paul calls the church towards wisdom in the way they live saying these words, “Be careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” I have found much truth in this command, and its relevance is most easily recognized in the temporary nature of our deployment back to Eleuthera for under a month.
Imagine if you knew you only had this one month left here on earth, and then times up, the plane to glory is taking off, you’re headed out of this country. What difference would it make in your choices? How would you seize opportunities? How would you maximize your time? What priorities would you embrace, and what vices would you lay down?
A full schedule isn’t the most important measure of making the most of every opportunity, but rather a life lived with no regrets will safeguard us towards wisdom in a world tripping over foolishness with a bucket of imaginary tomorrows.
May we all learn to make the most of the opportunities we are given.