Windows of Time: Lost Opportunities

Did You miss YOUR Window of Opportunity?

I’m actually a bit giddy about getting to blog today. It feels like the days when I got up and had an hour before work and the screen was blank before me and I could type on the keyboard and fill the screen with my thoughts for a whole hour!

As I took Maddie out for her business walk this morning I couldn’t help but think of the “missed opportunities” that people have had lately that they did not take advantage of. If I’m being honest, I do have TWO particular situations that popped into mind, straight away! In my line of thinking, I’m pondering that “geez, there’s a theme here” of people missing their opportunities.

In one case, there is someone that was given opportunities for something – even half way took the opportunity but denied it – not once, not twice, but even three times. The window closed and the person wants everyone to break the rules for them because now they have changed their mind, changed their thinking, and has decided at 14th hour to make a decision for their opportunity. And although they want people around them to move the earth for them, when they don’t for themselves, all blame is on everyone else. Now the guilt cards are laid on the table, the fingers point all around, and the harassment of ugly blames blast off along with a never ending trail of “10 inch text blocks” that come in every few hours stating what a horrible person I am for the way I handled things. Well, at least I DID handle them. Someone had to. If only the person had grasped the opportunity and taken the responsibility to usurp the WINDOW OF TIME given. Life does not wait, my friend, or foe. Life does not wait. I will add that this person is often late to the game in other areas of their life, and this is no surprise to anyone. 🙄 Most of the time it is a trait that doesn’t really matter, and we accepted it, but this one did matter and involved others (including a business contract) to which we didn’t want to inconvenience nor break just b/c someone didn’t take their opportunity when they were offered several chances.

I keep thinking of executives at work that would not seize the opportunity to try to be prepared but would always cause an emergency and even work stoppages because they lagged at making decisions, couldn’t plan, or be prepared for what is to come. I remember people having signs at their desk saying things like “your lack of being prepared does not create an emergency on my part”. LOL.

In another case, I ponder the pouring rain years ago as the gutter in back creates a waterfall cascading down in the back of the house. A bent gutter allows the water to rush down like a mini Niagara. “Hmm. Looks like we have a gutter issue” one comments. “Yeah it does”, says the other. Years later, a comment is made by one that perhaps new gutters should be looked into, after all, as these things do cause some problems from time to time. “Yeah, perhaps so, but now is not the time”, responds the other. A few more years, water stains appear on a bathroom ceiling. “Hmm. Have you seen those before?”, says the one. “No I believe that is new”, says the other. “Might be the gutter” one said. “Might be”, said the other, …”But now is not the time”. Yesterday, two more spots appear on the ceiling after a 2 inch rain fall. One says, “have you checked the bathroom for new spots”? The other gets up and checks. Two new leak spots fill the bathroom ceiling. “Now is the time to call the gutter people” he says. “Yep” “the other one says, as she thinks to herself It was time years ago. And now we’ll also have to replace the ceiling and deal with any mold issues. If only we’d addressed it in the appropriate WINDOW of TIME, it would be less expensive. Now it will cost us more to fix the damage and gutters at today’s prices instead of yesterday’s.

It only took two or three instances in my thoughts this morning to try and figure out why we all think we have time that we don’t really have. And in the second instance, a lot of the choice had to do with money. The money is there, it’s just in investments, but what good is a house to sell that has issues if you don’t invest in it? Is it not an investment in itself to care for it? What about trusting God to help take care of you if you DO take care of today’s needs with today’s money? It’s a risk I guess.

And is it ok to pray for new gutters if you have the money in investments to do it but refuse to use it? Has God already provided the means but it refuses to be used? We don’t have to have an answer this morning but I know that is where my mind went while walking the dog and I decided that I enjoy a morning blog post. So why not do one on my thoughts this morning. That way I don’t have to be clogging up my mind and can let it go. I’ve got a lot of things I want to do today.

Additional “windows of time” thoughts popped into my head this morning as well.

There is a window of time in which trust has to be built up again and if someone closes the window on that trust, the period of time has expired, the window has been sealed and it may take a very long time for the window to be open again, if it ever will.

There is a window of time in which decisions must be made to help another person, to be a part of their lives, show them you care. The window is only open for a short period of time and the opportunity is gone when the window shuts permanently.

There is a window of time in which to apologize for bad behavior, to ask for forgiveness, to reconnect before the bitterness sets in, lack of trust is sealed, and a relationship lost.

There is a period of time in which one has the opportunity to travel, before bad health or worse occurs. Waiting even a day later, can sometimes mean a closed door forever.

I can feel the windows closing in some areas of my life, while others are opening. And to be honest some have screens and some are half open and half closed.

I can’t leave without including this one: God gives us an opportunity and he tells us honestly that our lives are just a vapor. Time is near. Soon, very soon, it will be too late and we will stand before Him in a serious discussion of our decisions, our windows – the ones we walked through, the ones we stared at, and the ones we shut.

We have choices to open the windows of opportunity and climb through, look through, peek through, dive through. Or we can close it. Or we can watch it close itself when we can’t control it. The window won’t be open forever. And if WE make the choice or don’t, we can’t blame someone else, and get away with it. Well we might in this life, but what purpose does it serve? It’s dishonest, the untruth, and only hurts yourself in the long run. Eternally, enh – God’s got this one. It’s his to judge. Not mine. Not yours. His.

Sometimes we don’t have a choice and windows are closed – and sometimes the window closes on our fingers as we try to reach out the window at the last minute. But many times we DO have a choice. Or shall I say we DID? Whatever we choose, it’s our own choice to take the opportunities, or leave them behind because the window doesn’t stay open forever. No one else is to blame.

The decision has been yours all along to make. Did you make the right one?