The Window of Opportunity

There was recently a discussion in sports talk radio here in Oklahoma regarding the window of opportunity for Assistant Coaches being hired for a Head Coach position. The conventional wisdom as the analysts put it, is that there is a window of opportunity for Assistant Coaches that will not always stay open. There was also the discussion of coaches having the opportunity to move to a "better" job. If the window of opportunity closes, then you may be subjected to toil in an area that is substandard for your talent and you may always have the tag that you could have done so much, but....

After examining this conversation with some deep thought, I began to think about a conversation that I had with a senior minister in my community who has preached for over 60 years, but has never served as pastor. He has in fact served as Interim Pastor for several churches, but was never called as the Senior Pastor. During our discussion, he told me that he knew that God had called him to pastoral ministry, but he never seized the opportunities when God opened doors for him. From his perspective, it should not have been those small rural churches with only 15 members extending a call to him, but rather those urban churches that had a vast amount of members and resources and only needed that final piece of the puzzle: A pastor with a good relationship with Lord and the ability to lead his fellow man. Unfortunately for this great Man of God, it does not always work according to his plan. Therefore his advice to me was to better discern the voice of God and move when he says move.

This leads to the original statement regarding the window of opportunity. Although I am only 30 years old, I have been preaching for 10 years and been extended a total of 10 calls, only to not accept any of them. I have always been under the belief that an Associate minister should get a blessing from his or her pastor to leave and I have never received that clearance. Not because he did not feel that I would be successful or that I was not ready or even called into that area of ministry, but more rather because he feels that the need for me to be at our church is greater than the need for someone else to have me at their church. Additionally, he has always had a thought that I would assume the pastorate there upon his retirement. It can get difficult waiting on your opportunities to present themselves with the right circumstances where everything seems to fall into place. Could it be that I'm too loyal? Could it be that I desire too much? Could it be that I am where I need to be? Could it be that others are telling the truth and I am just not listening? Or most importantly, Is God talking and I have somehow unintentionally pressed the mute button? To be honest, I am not sure what the answer is, but I am watching the window while the answer is being revealed.