Our God of Opportunity

In Greek mythology, Kairos, the youngest son of Zeus, was the god of opportunity. He was depicted as a youth with a long lock of hair hanging down from his forehead, which suggested that opportunity could only be grasped as he approached.

As it happens, God as revealed in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures also is a God of opportunity. In Exodus 19:5, God says to the Israelites, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” In John 15:7, Jesus tells us, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.” What marvelous opportunities! What more could we ask?

Actually, we could and do ask God for all manner of things without being willing to keep up our end of the bargain. Keeping God’s covenant and remaining in Christ can seem tedious and overly demanding because it entails loving God above all else and loving our neighbor as ourselves, which means dying to self. Why do opportunities always have to come with a catch?

What God the Creator, Redeemer, and Holy Spirit are asking of us is relationship — which, as we know, means sacrifice for love of the other, but also the opportunity for joy and fullness of life. Our God is always offering us acceptance, forgiveness, belonging, and new life. Will we grasp those opportunities when God approaches us?