LISTEN ONLINEIt was the famous annual Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge universities. A crowd of 250,000 lined the banks of the river Thames, and fifteen million more watched on television.
“The pressure was immense,” remembered trainee vicar Chris Rimmer after his gruelling seven-month period of intensive practising for the Oxford reserve team. But despite extreme nerves, Rimmer wasn’t just focused on the race. He longed to share God with others that day. Thankfully, there was an unexpected five-minute delay in their tightly packed schedule. Rimmer grabbed the opportunity, gathered the Oxford squad around him, and prayed. “It was a really special quiet time within a day of madness,” he later reflected.
With just minutes to go before the coin toss and the starting flag, Rimmer didn’t miss his moment. Making the most of opportunities to share God with others aptly reflects Paul’s encouragement to the Colossians (Colossians 4:5). They were to “Devote [themselves] to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (v. 2), asking God to open doors to share about Jesus (v. 3). They were to conduct themselves with godly integrity (v. 5 ). And their conversation was to be “full of grace, seasoned with salt” (v. 6)—talking in an engaging but wholesome way.
God’s love in our hearts yearns to break out and reach others, and life offers us many opportunities, in prayer, action and word. We can ask God for those open doors and then confidently walk through.