Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
God, prior to you or me being around, has prepared some work for us to do. We’re not forced to do it. Far from it. It’s joyful work that’s offered to us in Christ. And it’s work that we can miss out on if we’re not diligent to look for it. Now, God’s not playing hide and seek with us. But we can so easily be caught up in trivial activities that we don’t notice the God-given opportunities all around us.
A couple days ago my oldest daughter and I were sitting down having some snacks. She says to me, “Daddy, in the story of Jesus’ birth, was the star that the wise men saw a real star, or an angel, or some kind of bright light that they thought was a star?” Now, I was in the middle of polishing off some leftover General Tso’s Chicken and messing with some web design stuff. The quick, distracted response would have been, “It’s a star sweetheart. Good question though.” Brief and letting me get on with my MSG and CSS.
But, by the grace of God, I realized that this was an opportunity. It was a chance to walk in a good work prepared for me by my Father in heaven. So I closed the laptop, pushed my chair back a bit, look her in the eyes and asked, “What do you think it was?” She paused, knowing that I was really interested in her answer, and said, “I think it was a star because that’s what the Bible says.” Great answer! How many troubles would be resolved with such faith! But I didn’t leave it at that. “Are you sure?” I pushed further. “Do you remember what it says?” Now, I wasn’t trying to be like the snake in the garden, getting her question God’s instruction (“did God really say…”). I wanted her to reflect and think about whether or not she really knew what she was talking about. “No.” she replied. “Ok then, go grab your Bible and let’s take a look at it.” And with that, she was off to retrieve her hand-me-down, pink, sparkly, NIV (thanks Half Price Books).
At this point I could have just flipped to Luke, show her the passage and been done. But I held her off a bit. “Where in the Bible do you think we’ll find that story?” I asked. She quickly started to reply “In the Old Testamen..” and then shifted to “in the beginning of the New Testament.” Again I pushed, “Why’s that?” She had a well reasoned answer, “Because it’s about Jesus’ birth, so it’s probably the first book of the New Testament.”
Now I went on another detour, taking a stab at explaining the gospels. I had done this before, but like me, she forgets 
I held up four fingers, “My index finger is you, give me the name of three of your friends.” She struggled, not wanting to exclude anyone. To keep it this rabbit trail from stalling out I said, “Don’t worry. You’re not picking favorites. It doesn’t mean you don’t love them if you don’t pick them. Just grab three names.” She replied, “Tatum, Rebecca, and Kelly.” (Drew came in a very close 4th). I moved it along, “Ok, imagine that I take you, Tatum, Rebecca, and Kelly to the Narnia exhibit at the Museum of Natural Science…” Now I REALLY had her attention. “You ride together in the same car. You go to the same building. You see the same things. You eat lunch together. You ride home together. When you’re done, you each go home and write down what you think was important about the trip. Do you think you’ll have the same stories to tell?” She responded, “No”. “Why not?” I asked. “Because we have different imaginations, and different brains, and we think different.” Ahh, now to close the detour. “Exactly! That’s just what you have in Matthew (showing her the books as I name them), Mark, Luke, and John. They each were with Jesus. Their books talk about specific things that they considered important to tell. So the first four books, called the gospels, all have something to say about Jesus’ life and the good news about him.” She got it (I think).
Back to the “star”. I turned to Luke and had her read the passage in her Bible for herself, helping where needed. As the story of the wise men unfolded, I emphasized each time the word “star” appeared. “I think you were right all along, Grace” I encouraged her. “You gave a really wise answer, because the Bible does call it a star, and you stuck with what the Bible says.” She smiled, and then her attention span was done and I returned to consuming reheated take-out.
I don’t say all that to put myself up as some great parent. Most of the time I’m begging God to lead me and provide me what I need from moment to moment because it’s so easy for me to be short tempered and selfish. The point is that through a little question, God blessed me with being able to lead his child into his Word, maturing her to some degree and deepening our relationship as well. God prepared that. I could have easily missed it.
I suppose the questions are, do you know how to spot a gracious opportunity from God? Are you looking for them, aware that every day they are all around you? What activities do you jump into that keep your mind and heart distracted, occupied so that you’re less likely to see God at work?
