The Opportunities God Brings, Not the Ones We Chase

I’ve been noticing something lately—especially when I slow down enough to actually pay attention.

It’s interesting what happens when we take the time to receive the opportunities God wants to place in front of us.

Because if I’m honest, there’s a subtle drift I feel—especially in leadership and ministry. In the pursuit of being faithful, productive, and available, it’s easy to start running after opportunities instead of being attentive and ready to receive the moments God is already bringing to us.

And those are not the same thing.

Chasing opportunity often feels spiritual. It feels proactive. It feels responsible. But it can quietly train us to overlook the people and moments that don’t announce themselves loudly enough.

Receiving moments requires something different.
It requires attentiveness.
It requires presence.
It requires trust.

Paul makes this posture unmistakably clear in Colossians 3 and 4. He talks about setting our minds on the right things. Letting peace rule. Being watchful. Walking wisely. Making the most of the time—not by cramming it full, but by being ready when God opens a door.

That kind of posture becomes obvious to those who know His voice.

Because when we’re chasing, we’re usually scanning for what’s next.
When we’re attentive, we’re present to what’s now.

And more often than not, the moment God is inviting us to notice is already in front of us—in a conversation we could rush, a moment we could dismiss, or a person we could easily overlook.

This week, I’m reminding myself of this simple truth:

I don’t need to manufacture opportunity.
I need to be ready to receive what God brings.

That kind of readiness doesn’t come from speed.
It comes from clarity.
It comes from alignment.
It comes from walking faithfully with Him where He has already planted my feet.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk more about what that kind of attentiveness looks like in leadership. But for today, maybe the question isn’t what should I go after?

Maybe it’s simply this:

What is God already placing in front of me that I don’t want to miss?