Which is the Bigger Issue, Opportunity or Attitude?

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…” (Eccl 9:10)
Many years ago I read of a young man who grew up in a poor neighborhood where there was very little to do. He wanted to stay in shape, but had no money for a gym membership. For exercise the young man used to push a car up and down the street.

Eventually he went from pushing the car to tackling running backs. He was pretty good at it. My brother once had the opportunity to speak with NFL running back Ron Johnson. He asked him, “What is it like to be tackled by Dick Butkus?” If I remember right the answer was, “A lot like being run over by a train.”

Dick Butkus could have become bitter about his lack of opportunities. Most American kids have more than a junk car to entertain them. But then, most American kids do not sign a contract for $200,000 as soon as they leave college. Most do not end up with a net worth of 8 million.

What is the lesson here? Perhaps the lesson is that sometimes our lack of opportunities, if responded to properly, become our opportunity.

So, if you do not have the opportunities that you wanted and prayed for, if God does not seem interested in giving you the gifts and ministries that you sought, maybe you should find an old car and push it. I am not suggesting that it will lead you to a net worth of millions, but I am sure that it will lead to something better than you will find by crying over the lack of opportunities.

If you cannot do the big jobs, do the small ones. If you cannot find the jobs that will gain you notoriety, do the ones no one will notice. But whatever you do, do it with your might – the best of your ability. Even if no one else notices, the Lord will know. Deep down you will know also, and you may in the end find more satisfaction in the simple and homely tasks than you really would have in the things you dreamed of doing.

A Balanced Perspective

The following is a statement that I have heard and even used myself. It is, within the right context, a very true and useful statement. “If one has done his best, no one can do any better than that.”

Sometimes we have tried our best but things have not gone well. Sometimes we lack the skill for the task at hand. Sometimes factors beyond our control kept us from succeeding. In those situations, the words of J.C. Ryle are helpful, “It is not the good and successful servant, but the good and faithful servant, to whom He will say, “Enter into the joy of your Lord (Mt 25:21).”

But while all of the above is true, it could be over-extended and misapplied.

On July 11, 1970 I attempted to preach a sermon about heaven. I collapsed a few minutes into the sermon and never finished it. I had done the best I knew how at the time; but frankly, it was not a good sermon and it is remembered only because I fainted, not because the content was worth remembering.

I had done the best I could at the time, and that is okay. But it would not have been okay for me to have taken the attitude, “That was my best and God will accept it.” Surely, if that had been my attitude, it would have been a sinful attitude. Surely, while taking some comfort in the fact that I had done my best at the time, it was only right that I should desire to improve my best.

In preaching, teaching, singing, praying, in giving, serving, and in all that we do, it is one thing to say “I did my best” and something very different to say, “I did my best and God will have to accept it.” No!!! As soon as we add that second part to the thought, we have said too much. If we are not striving to improve on our preaching, teaching, singing, praying, giving, serving, and all that we do, then we are sinning and God decidedly will not accept it.

Dr. Bob Whitaker, assisted by my oldest son, attempted a brain surgery. Dr. Whitaker was not a brain surgeon. But the man was going to die if someone did not do something, so Bob tried his best. The man died. But Bob did not take the attitude, “Well, I did my best and I will do the same again next time.” Living where he did, he knew that this would come up again. So he asked Dr. Charles Branch (a neurosurgeon) to teach him how to do the surgery right.

God may accept our best, if it really is our best. But our best should be getting better. If it is not, then probably it is not really our best.