Seeing Opportunities not Obstacles

Sometimes I just see obstacles when God clearly sees an opportunity.

Example.

One of the groups that I am involved with here in La Paz is the Red Viva Network. A network of churches and ministries working with children at risk. As I have mentioned before…my role is that of a marketing consultant. I have already worked with a few organizations individually that are part of the network to help them improve their communications.

Well…we were in a meeting about a week ago with some of the members of the network and one person asked my boss Pablo when we were going to have a workshop to train and help all of the groups improve their communications platform.

Gulp.

I knew exactly what this meant…it meant when will Curt be able to give us a workshop to share the practical knowledge that he has regarding communications. It meant…when will Curt stop running around the city dealing with people one on one and when will he stand up in front of all us for a day and help us all at one time.

Another gulp.

Pablo set a date of Tuesday, August 26th for the workshop and immediately I saw an obstacle.

I can’t do that.
What will I say?
A whole day…I can’t talk for that long.
Is my Spanish good enough or will Pablo have to translate?
Can we postpone it so I can have more time to prepare?
I will look like an idiot in front of them.
I won’t be able to help them.

All lies. And all obstacles whispered into my ear by the enemy. The enemy wants me to see this as impossible because he doesn’t want these organizations to improve their communications. Because improved communications might mean more funds and more funds might mean more kids saved from a life of darkness.

And I can’t believe that I actually believed the enemy. I immediately felt overwhelmed and unworthy to give this workshop. Basically…I just saw all of the obstacles.

And then when I was listening to the sermon at church this past Sunday it hit me. The sermon talked about the parable of the talents where the rich dude goes away for a little while and gives some money to his servants to manage. Two servants take what they get and double the money. But one servant takes the money and hides it to protect it for his master.

It was a simple lesson…what do we do with the talents and opportunities that God gives us?
Do we take them and use them to multiply things and bear fruit?
Or do we take them and hide them in the dirt?
It hit me during the sermon that this workshop is a talent. It is an opportunity to take something that God has blessed me…to take some knowledge that God has blessed me with and use it to bless others.
This workshop is not an obstacle…it is an opportunity.
It is an opportunity to impact many organizations at once instead of impacting them one at a time.

Ahhh…the beauty of workshops where you bring people together.

I have been a little confused about my involvement in Red Viva because I have felt that although I have consulted a few ministries I have not really focused a lot on how I can help the network.

Well I just praise God that He placed this workshop in my path so that I would no longer feel confused about what He needs me to do. He needs me to stand up in front of ministries on Tuesday, August 26th and try to help them better communicate the work that they do in a practical and fresh way.

Please pray for me. Please pray that I will take advantage of this opportunity and NOT that I will overcome this obstacle. Because it's no obstacle...it's an opportunity.

What obstacles do you see in your path that are really opportunities?