Our Blind Spot: Missing Opportunities Right In Front Of You

So many things on my to do list today. I run from one "important" task to another, and just cannot stop. I have dozens of meetings, tasks I need to accomplish, places I need to go, and responsibilities that need my attention. My task list is long, and my day will be even longer, I just don’t have time…


How many times have we said the sentence, “I just don’t have time to…(fill in the blank).” We are controlled by our calendar, our to do list, our schedule, and appointments that have been made. We fill every waking minute with things to do, and hold such a tight schedule that even a small deviation “blows everything up”. No time for distractions, no time for the unexpected, no time to stop and see what is right before us.

As a father and a school principal, my days are often very full. I have paperwork to complete, observations to conduct, meetings (and meetings and meetings) to attend – and this is just the school side. I have responsibilities and home and to my family, and many days I do not stop for even a second.

As the last year unfolded, things began to change. Before my diagnosis, I did not have any choice but to slow down (because I simply did not have the strength to go non-stop). After my diagnosis, and as the treatments began to take effect, I started to feel better, and my strength and energy returned. Once again, my days quickly began to fill up and I found myself moving at a breakneck speed through my day.

But even in this, things inside had begun to change. My perspective had definitely shifted, and things that once seemed so crucial and important, were just not as important now. What did I want my focus to be and where did I want to invest my energy? The reality of a limited amount of time was now very much in the fore front of my mind, and I began to ask myself, what is really important and where do I want to invest my time?

As I pondered these questions, I began to have, what I can only describe as “God moments” – chance meetings, conversations, introductions, and events. I would run into people I had not seen in years. I met people who were struggling and needed help. I was put into places I never imagined.

I remember one day distinctly. I was out running errands (checking off my to do list), and I decided to stop into Starbucks for a coffee for my wife (yes, I am always trying to earn brownie points - I definitely need them). As I entered, I saw “one of my kids” working. He and I had met just weeks before, to reconnect, and we once again started talking briefly. As we talked he motioned to the end of the counter and said "there is my sister, she would love to see you."

I walked over to her, gave her a hug, and took a seat. For the next hour and a half, we talked, laughed, cried, and encouraged one another. It was not something I had on my agenda, but it was probably the most necessary thing I could do that day. Did it push some things back – yes. Did it interrupt my plan and schedule – yes. Was it important – more than you will ever know.

Before my diagnosis, I missed so many of these opportunities because I was in a hurry, because my schedule was packed, or because I put priorities on so many other things. Before my diagnosis, I missed many of these God moments, and just a year before, I would have said “Hi”, had a brief conversation, and would have missed a blessing to me, and the chance to bless another.

Don’t get me wrong, schedules are important, and completing our responsibilities are a must. Yet many times, we are so busy, we miss the opportunities right before us. Right then, the most important place I could be, was that coffee shop, having that conversation. Over the last few months, literally dozens of these “events” have taken place, and each time I have stopped for one, both I and others have been blessed and ministered to.

Taking time for these “God moments” is many times the most essential thing we can do. How often are you “too busy” to stop for moments like these? Is your go to response “I just don’t have time…”? While there will be times when we cannot stop, many times, in reality, we can. And that "thing" we think is so desperately important, really can wait.  

I would encourage you to watch for these moments. Look for the opportunities right in front of you to encourage and minister to others. When presented with these times, throw away the schedule, and see what is really important in that moment. When you take time for these special moments, not only will you have the opportunity to bless and minister to others, but you will be blessed and ministered to in return. I encourage you to take time and see what it right in front of you. Often, it is the most essential and important thing you can do.