[vc_row height=”small” el_class=”dailyBody” css=”.vc_custom_1465516518912{margin-top: -25px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/4″][us_image image=”31113″ size=”tnail-1×1″][us_separator height=”20px” size=”custom”][us_sharing providers=”email,facebook,twitter,gplus”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Have you realized that life moves at an alarmingly consistent rate? It doesn’t stop, it never slows down. Just last week I was reflecting on how quickly my kids are growing up. My oldest is asking more intelligent questions and using more advanced reason. My youngest is throwing temper-tantrums instead of embracing the sweet disposition he had for his first three years – oh, the good old days! I’m reminded of the old saying, “the days drag on, but the years fly by.” Like a river flowing, if we wait for time to stop, we will never jump into it and the moments will pass us by. It’s true of parenting, and it’s true of life in general.
Jonathan refuses to let life pass him by. He doesn’t receive a direct command from God, he simply sees an opportunity in front of him and seizes it. It’s reflected in the phrase “let us go” that appears two times in the narrative (1 Sam. 14:1, 6). Jonathan decides to live rather than being content with life passing him by. He decides to be an active agent in his story, rather than a passive observer. While it was a step of faith, it was also a decision to take initiative. The Apostle Paul encourages the church at Ephesus to be ‘opportunity seizing’ people. In Ephesians 5:15-16 he wrote, “15Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” The phrase “making the best use of the time” could literally be translated “buying back the opportunities.” We buy back the opportunities by making the most of every moment and refusing to be sidelines observers of our own lives. Jonathan modeled this for us well.
Buying back the opportunities is a challenge because it requires initiative. If we choose to take the posture of letting life happen to us, we become passive agents in the life we live. The scriptures never to call us to ‘let go and let God.’ The scriptures invite us to see and discern the world in front of us, and then to ask God how he might want us to imaginatively live in a way that brings his kingdom, goodness, and love. Just like Jonathan, we face opportunities in front of us brilliantly disguised as obstacles. What opposition is God inviting you to step into with a renewed “let us go” attitude? Listen to the song Oceans and ask God what steps he’s calling you to take. Existing is a given, but living is a choice. Today, choose to live.
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