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When I paid a visit to a rarely used restroom at HDC (Harrisburg Discipleship Center), it wasn’t long before I noticed that something was not quite right. A drop of water formed slowly near the sink, and then – drip! It hit the carpet floor. “That’s weird,” I thought, “When did that start?” There was a water mark on the floor, but only the size of about three droplets.
I tightened the faucet valve to try and stop the drip. Wrong move! Drip, drip, drip – it became almost a stream, starting to puddle on the floor. This was not good timing for my schedule! What could I use to catch the water? Let’s see, a trash can… wicker, but it did have a plastic liner. I quickly put it under the sink to buy some time.
I made three trips up and down those flights of stairs before I managed to get the right tool to fix this urgent need. Now as I sit and reflect on that moment, I laugh and think, “What a moment for something to go wrong! Ironic, yes, funny, yes – and also a ‘*Kairos moment.’” “What?” you say. Let me explain how I see it.
You see, that pipe “chose” just that moment to start leaking. It could have happened any day or night of the year, but it happened when someone was there to see it. If I hadn’t seen it, it could have leaked for days before someone really noticed, because this bathroom is out of the way. It could have ruined the floor and the ceiling below, as well as many other things in the process. The timing was certainly not best for my plans – but it was opportune in other ways.
This reminds me of a story Jesus told about a Kairos moment – about a man who was going from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was robbed and beaten and left for dead. A priest came down the road, but he was too busy for this divine appointment. Then a Levite came by. Surely this was the beaten man’s lucky day – not once, but twice he had the opportunity to be saved! But the Levite passed by on the other side of the road as well.
As I thought about my own experience, I realized that divine appointments rarely seem to come at the perfect time, especially as we busy North Americans would like them to. We are usually occupied with something else and want a more convenient time to fix leaky pipes – or broken individuals.
God gives us divine appointments all the time, if our eyes are open to them. They may not always be “convenient,” but will we seize the moment anyway, like the Samaritan did? He was the last person anyone would think God would choose; God loves to use everyone who makes him or herself available to his purposes.
Will you be one of those people who chooses to “seize the Kairos moment” when it comes your way?
*kairos - (Greek) a moment for decision
or action
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