When I was 16 years old, the family car got passed down to me. It was originally my sister’s, and after an accident or two and the purchase of something better, this SAAB 9.3 got passed down to me. I had no idea that this kind of car existed, or that SAAB was even a car manufacturer, but I was given a car without having to pay for it so I didn’t complain. Shortly after I began driving it, I noticed that there were a few SAAB 9.3’s around town. I went from not even knowing that they existed to noticing one drive by me almost every day. I realized that many people have these weird Swedish cars, but I had never even noticed until I started driving one.
Have you ever begun a study of God’s Word, then started noticing things from the verse appear in your everyday life? Maybe it was a principle from the study, a time to practice the idea you’ve studied, or even the verse itself. I often hear people say that God put a certain section of scripture in their life at just the perfect time because of an experience they had shortly after. This experience could be them knowing how to handle a situation better than they otherwise would have, or them taking advantage of an opportunity to show Christ-likeness when they might not have recognized the moment without reading that scripture.
While I’m not suggesting that they are wrong, can I suggest that these opportunities and experiences are always around us?
Although we might not always notice the moments when the wisdom in scripture can be applied, that doesn’t mean that these opportunities aren’t constantly around us. Just because we didn’t notice the time when we could’ve shown Christ in our words or actions doesn’t mean that the opportunity wasn’t there.
That begs the question: how do I begin noticing these ever-present opportunities? Although I had no idea cars made by SAAB were around me before I knew about them, they were constantly around. When my mind was framed to look for these kinds of cars, I began noticing them everywhere.
When we study the Bible, we are allowing God’s Word to frame our thoughts. His Word restructures our minds to shine light on opportunities in life that would usually remain in the dark. Conversely, if we don’t study the Word then these opportunities will always remain unseen, and the wisdom within it will never be applied to the difficulties we face.
Are you allowing God to frame how you see your daily life, or are you walking through life unaware of what’s really happening around you?
– Nate Kidwell
Dalraida church of Christ is a congregation of Christians that meet in the mid-town area of Montgomery, Alabama. Our goal and purpose is to seek and follow God and His Word in everything that we do in life.