“For an angel went down at A CERTAIN TIME into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.”— John 5:4

Timing is very important in life. When things happen at the wrong time, they yield no fruits. For instance, when a couple is always having sex at the wrong time, it can never result in a fetus. There needs to be A CERTAIN TIME which is the right time.

We can’t afford to take timing for granted in life. When some things are not done at a certain time of our lives, we miss out on their essence because such may have a deadline. You can’t start a professional football career, for instance, after forty (40). That is when it is supposed to end.

Timing is crucial. When you go to school, for example, is as important as the education. There are some skills in life you can’t use after a certain age. Imagine going to school after sixty (60) to earn a degree with the intention of working with it. Hello! Retirement is at 60!

We all need to know the ‘certain times’ of every opportunity that walks into our lives so we don’t miss out on them. We need to know when to jump off the cliff to grasp an opportunity. The timing is just as important as the opportunity. When we miss out on when we are supposed to get in, we mess it up.

Last year, our play, THE BOY CALLED A GIRL, was staged at National Theatre. It received amazing reviews but something eventful happened on stage during the first show that many didn’t notice but I did. I wrote the play after all.

Truth is, one of the characters got on stage at the wrong time— earlier than she was supposed to. Guess what. She truncated the plot because her wrong timing cut away another character’s monologue which was extremely key to understanding the story. She missed her timing and she messed it!

Wrong timing is suicidal. When we miss out on the timing of the opportunities in our lives, we do ourselves a great disservice. Like the above-mentioned character, we truncate the plot of our lives.

Life is like a stage performance. Walking into a scene too early can cost us as much as too late can. On stage, a character puts everyone under pressure if they miss the timing of even what they say. Life will throw opportunities at us from time to time. However, if you are too early, you will miss it. If you are too late, you will as well miss it. You need to know your timing!

Timing is important to everybody— both the young and old. As a young man or woman, there are some opportunities that when missed in your youth can never be accessed when you are old. As an adult, if you don’t grab some opportunities as they come your way, there won’t be a second chance later.

When you miss your timing, you can mess up your whole life. Some opportunities have deadlines, thus, if you miss out on them, they don’t come back. If you see an opportunity, know the timing and jump on it!

The Bible tells an intriguing story of a man with an infirmity who had been lying at the pool of Bethesda for a whopping thirty-eight (38) years waiting for his turn to be healed anytime an angel disturbed the waters AT A CERTAIN TIME. Until Christ came, he had always missed his healing because he always missed the timing… and someone always beat him to it.

Like this man, many of us are still stuck in life because we keep missing that CERTAIN TIME life’s angel disturbs the waters— throwing an opportunity at us. When life throws opportunities at us, we miss exactly when we are supposed to hold on to such. Of a truth, knowing when to jump at an opportunity is as crucial as the opportunity itself. When we miss it, we mess it!

We are all witnesses to how some friends messed up their education in high school because of peer pressure and how many of such could never recover that lost opportunity until today. Most of us have a friend who is living a substandard life today because they messed up a great opportunity when it came walking through their doors yesterday. Some opportunities will only walk through the doors of our lives just once. We should not miss them.

Every great thing you have in your life now is an opportunity. Treat it as such. Don’t miss out on the timing. A great spouse is an opportunity. Having good friends is also an opportunity. Above all, having the gift of life is an opportunity— the greatest opportunity. Never miss out on how to regard the opportunities in your life. If you miss the timing, you mess the whole thing.

Great spouses are hard to come by. If you miss out on one, you can barely come across another of their kind. Supportive friends are gold. Store them in a safe. Your life is precious. Treat it as your first luxury property because it indeed is. If you undervalue your opportunities, you will miss out on how to treat them. If you miss out on how to treat such, you will mess them.

Be led when an opportunity comes knocking your door. Don’t be too early. Don’t be too late. Opportunities have A CERTAIN TIME label on it. You need to discern that time lest you mess it when you miss it. Being too early may be just as disastrous as being too late.