Opportunity rarely knocks when we feel perfectly prepared. Occasionally it rushes in before we’ve gathered the “right” tools, forcing us to decide whether we’ll freeze or improvise and move forward in faith.
Science is full of people who chose the latter. Alexander Fleming noticed mold in a forgotten petri dish and, instead of tossing it, discovered penicillin. Rosalind Franklin’s painstaking X-ray photo of DNA, captured with equipment far from state-of-the-art, sparked the double-helix breakthrough. They didn’t wait for ideal conditions; they ran with what was in front of them.
I had to learn that lesson in the oddest of ways.
I was a skinny eighth-grader who’d only just picked up the game of basketball, yet my high school drafting teacher, also the varsity coach, saw a spark and offered me a chance to try out. His one condition: gain muscle before the season. Problem? I didn’t have a gym membership, fancy supplements, or money to spare.
So I built my own “weight set” from cracked plastic weight plates someone had thrown away and a metal bar I found in the basement, taped together with clothing hanger wire and determination. I begged for seconds at dinner, saved spare change for sub sandwiches, and cranked out push-ups on the classroom floor while my friends laughed. It took all fall, but I added twenty pounds and, more importantly, a new mindset: when God places an opportunity in front of you, He has already planted enough inside you to meet it—creativity, grit, and His Spirit.
That truth is woven through Scripture. Young David faced a giant with nothing but a sling, five stones, and unshakable confidence in the God who had helped him kill lions and bears (1 Samuel 17). The odds appeared insurmountable, until they didn’t.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” —2 Timothy 1:7
Where is God nudging you today? Maybe you lack money, experience, or the perfect setup. Use what you have, trust the One who gave it, and watch doors swing open. Your story, like mine, could be the encouragement someone else needs to take their first step.
(Next time I’ll share what happened after that tryout. Stay tuned!)