When Opportunity Whispers

Recently I became curious about the word “opportunity.”   I wondered where the word came from and if it might have application for spiritual life.

I was surprised to find it originated as a sailing term.  The root word in Latin contains the word “port,” meaning a harbor.  The word “ob” means “in front of” or “in the direction of.”  And the Latin word “veniens’ means “coming toward.” Put that together and you have:

…ob portunm veniens “coming toward a port,” in reference to the wind…

I like that: an opportunity is like sailing at sea and realizing a wind has arisen that can take you to a place you want to be.

The Biblical words for “wind” are evocative. In Hebrew, the word “ruah” can mean wind, breath, or spirit.  In Greek, the word “pneuma” also can mean wind, breath, or spirit. Our spiritual ancestors experienced the coming of the divine spirit like the awareness of a fresh breeze.  We don’t know where it comes from, but we sense it moving us in a new direction.    

Some personal stories come to mind.

When I was in seminary, we were in a couples’ group.  The leader asked us to describe how our spiritual journeys began.  One woman said her mother had been a heroin addict.   She was eight years old and had never been to a church.  But one Sunday morning, out of nowhere, she felt a desire to attend a nearby service. She walked down the street by herself.  When she arrived, she felt she had come home.  She began attending regularly, learning all she could about what faith meant.  Over the years, it not only gave her a sense of security and direction but also allowed her to care for her mother more effectively.

I have a friend who is a Catholic priest.  He was living in northwest Washington and planned to be in Seattle for the weekend.  But he got an inner prompting that he needed to go visit a friend who lived in Yakima.  He caught a plane that day. When he landed he called his friend’s house. His friend’s wife answered. She told him she was surprised to hear him, and he could not be showing up at a better time – her husband was dying and would love to see him. My friend went to the house, reunited with his friend, and was at the beside when he died.

More than once, I’ve heard people tell about having been part of a church that focused constantly on how unworthy people are, particularly any that don’t conform to traditional social standards.  Over time, they sensed something was not right.  They begin to feel a nudging to try someplace new and began exploring options.  They cautiously enter some new sanctuary, often sitting in the back row.  The primary message they hear is that the purpose of spiritual life is to not focus on outmoded ideas of divine judgement but instead become open to the power of love and grace.  Often, the person tells me tears of joy began to flow. 

An 8-year-old girl senses a breeze blowing gently towards a small church down the street and sets her sail in that direction.  With little to go on but the appearance of a feeling, a man changes his course for the weekend and heads to the home of a dying friend.  People who had been told they deserve to live on a stormy sea of doubt and condemnation spy an unfamiliar harbor on the horizon, turn their tiller in that direction, and arrive in a harbor that feels like heaven.

Not every hunch, intuition or idea that appears within us is born of the Spirit.  We need to be careful and discerning, remembering that the Spirit will always lead us toward personal responsibility, ethical actions, and service to others.  It can feel risky to follow such promptings.  But when we do, we can experience blessings we had not imagined.

I am reminded of the words of Tagore: “The winds of grace are always blowing, but it is you that must raise your sails.”

Sometimes in our daily life, opportunity knocks.  Sometimes in our spiritual life, opportunity whispers.

Photograph: “Sailing ships entering south harbor in Helsinki, Finland on October 12, 2019, when Traditional Sailing Day is being celebrated in the country.” dreamtime.com