Have you ever looked back and felt the sting of a missed opportunity? In Missed Opportunities and Growth, Vivian Bricker reflects on Ephesians 5:15-17 and reminds us that while fear can cause us to step back from God-given opportunities, His grace still leads us to growth. Even when we stumble, God redeems our regrets and uses them to strengthen our walk with Him.

Highlights

• Ephesians 5:15-17 calls us to live wisely and make the most of every opportunity.

• Fear often blocks us from stepping into new seasons of growth.

• Missed opportunities can lead to regret—but also reflection and transformation.

• God provides continual chances to grow in wisdom, courage, and faith.

• Learning from setbacks prepares us for future opportunities aligned with His will.

Join the Conversation

Have you missed an opportunity God placed in your path? How did He use that moment to help you grow? Share your story and encourage others to walk in wisdom and courage. Tag @LifeAudioNetwork and use #FaithAndOpportunities #GodRedeemsRegret #WalkInWisdom to join the conversation.

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Full Transcript Below:

Missed Opportunities and Growth

By Vivian Bricker

Bible Reading:

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). 

Typically, we only think of growth and change during the year's beginning or end. However, there can be opportunities for growth throughout the year. Most of these opportunities are given to us by the Lord. He is always giving us opportunities to try new things, meet new people, and grow in our walk with Him. As Christ followers, we need to make sure we are taking advantage of these opportunities and not wasting them.

Most of us turn away from opportunities due to fear. Fear blocks our path and causes us to steer away from something new. I have seen this in my life, and you might have seen it in yours as well. Maybe God placed an opportunity for a new job, a new friend, or a new connection group at church. However, you walked away due to fear in your heart.

Rather than using these opportunities to grow, we run away. This is entirely normal, but we must fight against it as much as possible. I have wasted many opportunities for growth in the Lord because I was afraid. Fear of rejection or not being good enough polluted my mind, so I turned these opportunities down. I feel a lot of regret over missing out on these opportunities, and one in particular sticks with me still. I was supposed to go on my second mission internship during my master’s degree, yet my opportunity was missed. My only choice was to give all my donated funds to someone else who was still trying to raise enough support or donate it to the mission board. I felt ashamed over the fact that so many people had donated to my mission fund, and they weren’t even going to get their funds back. It was embarrassing and challenging to say the least. 

Even though I lost the chance to go on this mission trip, I learned from it and began working on myself because of it.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

The Apostle Paul tells us, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). As Paul says in this passage, we need to be careful in how we live and to be wise. We need to make the most of every opportunity because evil is so prevalent in the world. Rather than being foolish, we need to understand the Lord’s will and hold fast to it. 

Think about what you are going through today. Maybe you are expressing grief over a past opportunity you missed. Bring these regrets over to the Lord; however, also apply the biblical teachings to be careful, wise, seize every opportunity, and understand the Lord’s will. In the future, Jesus will continue to give you many opportunities for growth and help you stand strong. While you might miss some, Jesus will still ensure you experience growth through it. 

“Dear Lord, please give me opportunities for growth and the wisdom to accept them when I can. Please also help me to learn from missed opportunities, and still help me to grow. I want to make the most of every opportunity and to understand Your will. In Your Name, I pray, Amen.”

Have you missed out on an opportunity? How did this make you feel? Even though you missed this opportunity, did it help you grow as a follower of Jesus? 

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