Making the Most of Desperate Times

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV)

I came across this passage the other day and, as sometimes happens, it caught my attention for some reason. Perhaps it was because of the various challenges that come from the permacrisis in which we now live—religious disillusion, factionalism, economic stresses, violent conflicts—you get the idea.

In digging a bit deeper, I found this translation by Eugene Peterson from The Message:

So, watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!(Ephesians 5:15-16, The Message)

Struck by the harsh implications of the word “desperate,” I looked up the definition. This is what I found: “feeling, showing, or involving a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.”

But in spite of the hopeless nature of life’s circumstances, the author of Ephesians says to us, “Things are bad but look for the opportunities that are present.” The Chinese character for “crisis” can be interpreted as “a crucial point, when something begins to change.”

Perhaps we might think about the times in which we live not simply as “desperate,” but crucial points when things are changing, and we can shape the change. Christ’s earthly ministry came at a crucial time in world history, a time that was desperate but laden with opportunity. The Gospel came at just the right time.

We live at a crucial point in time—a time of opportunity for the church. With the leadership of the Spirit, we can use our hearts and minds to wisely embrace these opportunities.

Lord, help us to use the gifts you have provided us to shape the church in such a way that the world will be transformed to be more like the Reign of God. Amen.

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