We often overlook how important it is to seize opportunities when they arise. Sometimes we assume that people who push through life’s hardships are underestimating their situation. It’s not that they are unaware of the difficulty; they refuse to let the difficulty define what they can achieve.
In psychology and behavioral science, researchers examine the value-action gap (or intention-action gap). Many people plan to do something meaningful—start a project, pursue an idea, help someone in need—but far fewer actually follow through. Why does this occur?
Hurdles to Achievement
Several barriers stand in the way.
Ambiguity happens when an idea isn’t fully developed to move forward. You might know your final goal, but haven’t figured out how to start yet. Uncertainty leads to hesitation.
Loss aversion is another challenge. When people fear losing what they already possess, they hold onto the familiar. The risk of moving forward seems larger than the chance of success.
Perfectionism sets another trap. The urge to understand everything before starting often leads to analysis paralysis. Instead of making progress imperfectly, we stay safely still.
A fourth obstacle is the absence of immediate reward. When results aren’t visible quickly, people start to doubt if their effort will make a difference.
Finally, the lack of accountability causes intentions to fade away quietly. When ideas stay private, no one expects results, making it easier to give up on them.
Overcoming these obstacles matters for two important reasons.
First, our lives serve as an example to others. Scripture teaches that if we are to influence others for Christ, we must live above reproach. Faithfulness in small things shows that we are trustworthy stewards of what God has entrusted to us.
Second, someone’s eternal life might depend on our obedience. Opportunities to act are often chances to serve God’s purpose in someone else’s life.
Endurance Under Pressure
The world will constantly push against God’s impulses in your life.
Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object at rest tends to stay at rest. In many ways, human behavior follows the same principle. Comfort prefers stillness. Faith requires movement.
To fulfill what God has planned for us, we must overcome the inertia around us.
There will always be voices discouraging you. Some will question your judgment. Others will suggest you lack the resources, time, or ability to succeed. Some will even tell you that trying and failing would be worse than not trying at all.
But someone’s soul might rely on your action.
You are surrounded by people who need help. Most of what they need can’t be fixed with money or stuff. What they often need most is time, attention, and real care. Many aren’t looking for quick fixes; they want to be seen and heard. They need to know their lives matter.
The Hard Part
That’s the hardest part.
Entering someone else’s chaotic life demands patience and endurance. It is much easier to give someone something and walk away than it is to stay and walk with them through their struggle.
Listening without rushing to offer solutions takes discipline. True compassion requires being present. It involves sitting quietly while someone shares pain, confusion, or fear.
That type of investment requires time, emotional effort, and persistence.
But that is precisely how Christ loved others.
Jesus rarely hurried past those in need. He paused for the blind, the broken, the rejected, and the forgotten. He noticed individuals whom others overlooked, and He offered them something more valuable than quick answers—His presence.
Opportunities to help others often seem small at first. A simple conversation. A kind word. A willingness to listen when someone is hurting.
Yet these moments are rarely insignificant in God’s hands.
When we follow the impulses God puts in our hearts, we become vessels of His grace. What starts as a small act of obedience can spread outward in ways we might never fully understand.
The tragedy isn’t that opportunities are scarce.
The tragedy is how frequently we hesitate when they show up.
God puts people in our path every day. Some need encouragement. Others need wisdom. Some …..need someone who cares.
Opportunities pass fast. Once they move on, they might never come back the same way.
So when God prompts you to act—speak the word, make the call, offer help, or give your time.
Seize the opportunity.
Someone might be waiting for the courage God has given you.
Romans 10:14, “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?”
In my three-quarters of a century, I have noticed three signs of a life well-lived. The first is a strong sense of identity, the second is the resolve to keep moving forward even when the road ahead is unclear, and the third is finishing faithfully. I will cover the three in a three part post. This is part one.
My daughter, an incredible human being who has had an indelible impact on thousands, mentioned the other day that time is a thief. She was talking about my granddaughter’s upcoming high school graduation. She was reflecting on how quickly time had passed from her birth to her graduation. With that brief statement, ‘time is a thief,’ she captured something essential about the human condition.
When hope and depression share the same heart, Christ becomes essential. While I was in Kyrgyzstan, I had a conversation that stayed with me. A woman shared that her mother — a trained psychologist — is battling depression. What makes her situation more complicated is not just the illness itself but also the theology surrounding it. Some in their Christian community believe that a Christian should not experience depression. The reasoning seems straightforward:
Silence is the medium of loss, rage, disappointment, and resignation. It begins when the heart loses language, and even the most eloquent become wordless in suffering.
Fear buries purpose not by force, but by permission. Giving in to the fear of failure hides your ability to reach your potential. Fear is the loud giant roaring in your mind, while faith is that whisper that pushes you forward. Too many times, we listen to the roaring giant because we can’t hear the whisper. We become less than God meant us to be, a shell of who we could have become.
Is your God created out of hunger? There is a quiet danger in faith that doesn’t present itself as rebellion. It feels reasonable. Even reverent. It begins when we try to understand God using only the raw materials of our own experience.
Christmas for the lonely is the worst of all holidays. It is the peak of all the missed chances and forgotten moments that haunt their existence. It seems to amplify their loneliness.
A Season of Gratitude
Is today, this week, or this year overwhelming? Do you feel trapped, searching for a way out? We all face storms. Some are caused by our choices, while others are thrust upon us. The winds rage, the rains wash away what we cherish, and darkness presses in. Worst of all, it seems like the storm will never end. That is Satan’s lie. He wants us to believe there’s no way forward.