Missing a Window of Opportunity

Today, a stranger sat near me at church, and I felt like I should do something friendly, like introduce myself and maybe strike up a conversation, but I hesitated a bit too long, and the stranger moved to sit by another member, who seemed to be a friend of his. I don't know what might have happened if I would have said 'hi' to him, but I kind of regret not taking the chance while I had it.

We don't always know how long our windows of opportunity will stay open. We sometimes try to plan out our actions, but we don't always have that kind of time. When it comes to doing good, maybe it's better to act on impulse than to hesitate, procrastinate, or spend too long planning what to say or do. In general, planning ahead is far more wise than rushing into things, but when it comes to doing good, it's better to rush it and stumble a bit than it is to take too long preparing and miss your chance to do it at all.

I didn't take my chance to talk to a stranger at church because I took too long waiting for a good moment and trying to think of what to say. In hindsight, I instead should have followed my impressions quickly and say whatever popped into my head. Saying almost anything would have been better than saying nothing. I missed an opportunity to be welcoming because I took too long to seize the opportunity.  If and when God gives me another opportunity, I hope I won't take too long to seize it next time.