Recently I read the following poem and was struck by the simplicity, directness, and reality of how these three words are true and apply to all mankind to this very day. And I was even more taken by how these three words apply to every believer who has made the decision to follow Jesus in this walk of faith. They are words that should be a part of every decision made.
“Remember three things come not back:
The arrow sent upon its track-
It will not swerve, it will not stay
Its speed; it flies to wound, or slay
The spoken word so soon forgot
By thee; but it has perished not;
In other hearts ‘tis living still
And doing work for good or ill.
And the last opportunity
That cometh back no more to thee,
In vain thou weepest, in vain dost yearn,
Those three will nevermore return”.
(from the Arabian)
The three words painting this picture are (1) arrow; (2) spoken word and (3) opportunity.
First: The arrow is something that requires four things to accomplish its task: (1) a sender, (2) a receiver and (3) a bow/arrow, and (4) a target. To hit the selected target we just always remember that once released, the arrow cannot be called back or retracted; we cannot be sure of the damage that will be caused until the arrow has reached its target; Once released, it will stay on the track it was pointed at. Whether it hits or misses the target, it will follow the path to its destination based on the thrust of the arrow released by the archer and the accuracy of the aim.
Note: The arrow once sent, will not be able to stop its effects, even if you want it to. And once released, you have no ability to control or change the results once the target is hit
The spoken word is not just a passing idea in your mind, or something sitting silently on the pages of a book, a piece of paper or a computer. The spoken word is active; once spoken it is air-born and reaching out to someone – so it’s (1) active, (2) its not silent, (3) it is communicating something, and (4) it has a voice and is speaking to someone. And because words are so powerful, whether used in a positive or negative way, we have choices to make every time we give a voice to that thought. That spoken word continues on long after it is spoken and has the capacity to affect any who hear it. What do we want to communicate with that word? Jas. 3:8 “the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison”. But scripture declares that the tongue can be brought under control by our yielding to the Holy Spirit. Then our words can become like Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in frames of silver.”
An Opportunity is a set of circumstances that make it possible to do something. That set of circumstances is not stagnant, and will change to open doors and close doors. We never know how long the door will be open before the door closes and the opportunity is no longer available. Every opportunity has a timing included with it. Ecc. 3:1 says “to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven…”. Other opportunities may present themselves, but they will never be the “very same” as the original. That moment is gone, never to return. And opportunities don’t wait until you feel you are ready. God has a timing included with every opportunity (Gal. 4:4 NIV “and when the set tiime was fully come, God sent forth His Son . . .”)
But the writer of this poem isn’t just speaking of an opportunity – he is speaking of our “last” opportunity. We will all have a last opportunity – with no more after that. That is why I truly believe that we should live each day as though it is our last – for it might be! The writer points out that crying because of missed opportunities won’t change anything – nor will wishing we could have another chance change anything for that was our last chance. We see a great example of that in Luke 16 where the rich man now finding himself in hell is asking for favors of Abraham to have Lazarus give him some water to drink and to go to his remaining brothers to testify of the reality of heaven and hell. Abraham’s response was to basically say there was no way that could happen. Both Lazarus and the rich man were where they were because of decisions they had made – and they could not be undone.
All three words have something in common, and they all produce a result. It all depends on what one does with the arrow, their words, and the opportunities that present themselves and what they do with them. They all have the capacity to build or destroy, protect or hurt, strengthen or weaken, encourage or discourage. But now this is the power of choice – we have choices and make them all the time. But we must always remember: our choices today become our life tomorrow. And our actions reflect our choices made.
Heartgate International Ministries 