By QuaWanna Bannarbie

Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

On Sunday evening, I sat in the front row of Main Street United Methodist Church listening to Ricky Goodwyn Jr. dedicate his recital to the memory of his mother, Laquette “Angel” Wilson. He paused during his singing of the familiar Negro spiritual, “Ain’t that Good News.” I thought he may have been thinking “I’ve got a mother in that Kingdom. Ain’t that Good News.” But he did not sing those words. I suspected that the fermata in the song was intentional, but something in his eyes told me differently. I believe that he did think of his mother. After that brief moment of silence, he sang, “I’ve got a Savior in that Kingdom. Ain’t that Good News.” He closed the song with those words and a smile on his face. But I saw difficulty.

I imagined that he might still be mourning his mother’s death, although it wasn’t readily apparent in front of so many strangers. He shared that it has only been 30 days since his mother passed. He believes that she would want him to continue sharing his gift. Yet, it has to be a difficult time for him.

It is not for me to question God about the way He does His business. But I do ask God questions in prayer. When difficult situations and circumstances come to my attention, I look to Him for explanations. God doesn’t owe me any answers, but I ask Him anyway. While I considered the 20-year-old singer’s unfortunate season of loss and need, God revealed to me the opportunity in the midst of Ricky Goodwyn Jr.’s difficulty. Every one of us that experiences the gift of Ricky Goodwyn Jr., has the opportunity to yield our resources, our time and our means to help him raise the funds for his scholarship so that Mr. Goodwyn’s purpose is fulfilled. Once again, God shows us how He masters the art of intentional enrichment. He is always giving us opportunities to link with others of different means so that we are fully developed citizens of His Kingdom. Sometimes those opportunities appear to be unfortunate ones.

I thought of the biblical story of Joseph. Joseph’s story in the book of Genesis is a series of unfortunate events. He is born to a mother who has had difficulty conceiving children. His brothers hate his miracle child status. They sell him as a slave. He is sold to Midianites who sold him as a slave to the Egyptian, Potiphar. His master’s wife lies and has him thrown into prison. He is forgotten in prison. He is released from prison and becomes leader in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. He is reunited with his brothers after a famine requires the family of Jacob to travel to Egypt for food. He reunited with his father and then, his father dies.

Joseph’s difficult circumstances are revealed over the span of 13 chapters in the book of Genesis. God had opportunity in mind in all of these events. In Chapter 50, Joseph says in verses 19-20, “for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (NKJV). Joseph exemplifies a yielded life. His submission to God’s plan yielded posterity for a nation.

My prayer for Ricky Goodwyn Jr. is that he will be rewarded with the scholarship amount needed to continue his education as well as opening the doors for his gift to be used much more. I took the opportunity that evening to contribute money to his purpose being fulfilled. My prayer for all of us is that we will yield ourselves to whatever connections God makes to let His will be done on earth. Even when it appears difficult, trust that when God gives us opportunity to yield, there is an exponential result in mind.

 

QuaWanna Bannarbie is an adjunct professor of nonprofit leadership and management with Indiana Wesleyan University, National and Global. Her children attend Suffolk Public Schools. Connect with her via iamquawanna@thebiggerme.net.