The Winning Chance (Part One)

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."
Ecclesiastes 9:11

The verse of the Scripture above rightly deals with the issue and the fact that time and chance has a good relationship with success in life. Many aspire to become successful and great in life, and would subject themselves to rigorous trainings to acquire skills and tools that would put them in front on the market place. The athletes trains hard to become a champion on the track, the soldiers train hard to win battles during wartime. But it’s time and chance that happens to them all according to the Bible.
What is now time and chance?
Time is a very essential factor in life; it is the measurement of life, it is the period of any given event. To acquire a university degree, a child begins from the elementary school; puts in time to study and grows from one level to the other in the process of time. But the Scriptures seen above shows that, it’s not in just what a person has acquired that brings success, the factors of time and chance plays a major role in the eventual success of the individual.
We have two different levels of times: there is the time as measured by men and their activities. This is Kronos and that which is measured by God is Kairos.
Kronos is time as measured by men from the time of birth to the time of death. Time used to acquire knowledge, skill, strength, etc.
Kairos is the timeless time; it is the timeline set in eternity and it’s unlimited, it transcend the natural timing of man.
Chance: this is the possibility of something happening, the occurrence of events in the absence of any obvious intention or cause.
I will call chance to be opportunity…

The truth is that, the verse of the Bible in Ecclesiastes 9:11 isn’t playing down on men getting better and being the best they can, as have been taught by some, but rather the emphasis is laid on the skillful, the strong, the wise, in relation with the time that would present an  opportunity to them.
The Scriptures says; “time and chance happeneth to them all” what all? If you will permit me to ask. This means All that are mentioned above in the verse.
The boys scouts slogan says; “be ready.” This simply means to be prepared for an opportune time. Sharpen your skills and wait!
"Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11:So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man." Proverbs 6:10-11

A careful look at our main Scripture would reveal that, the statement is not credited to those who have not developed any skill. It is a Scripture referring to men of skills, strength, wisdom, etc, and the opportunity that can be availed for them.
When a favour is presented to an unskillful man, he wastes the opportunity. Opportunity is available to everyone at a given time, but the one that is ready will take advantage of it.

THE WAY NOT TO RUN:

Many years ago I came to Lagos; the most populous black city in the world, in the most populous black nation of the world. The way of life of the people was strange to me. Everyone is in a rush in Lagos, running at the slightest alert, but soon enough I adjusted to the lifestyle. EKO!

The irony of this city is that a lot more people are running for the wrong reasons and very much ignorant also. I quite remember in 2001; September precisely. It was a Sunday evening and we were playing soccer in the church premises as part of our youth program when suddenly we began to hear loud banging sounds that shook foundation of buildings. There was panic everywhere. People began to run helter-skelter without knowing the direction where the perceived problem was coming from. We thought it was war! The loud banging continued for more than one hour.
At the end of the day, it was gathered that more people died out of ignorance than the explosion from the Nigerian army armory at Ikeja cantonment, Lagos. People out of fear, ignorance and shallow mind sets plunged themselves into deadly canal in Ejigbo; a community far from the actual position of the explosion.
Many people still live their lives in this manner. Many run the race they little or nothing about, never counting the cost of the race they get involve in, they do not even know where they’re headed to nor why they are in the race in the first place. Even when a man has a vision, wisdom teaches that; it should be made plain. Understand the vision, establish the feasibility and then RUN.
Part of your success in life depends on visibility and clarity. "It is not enough to start a church just because you prayed for the sick and he got healed." Have counted the process and seen the end?
Hab.2: 2, “And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

1. Do not run with an unclear vision. Half vision isn’t enough for the race of a lifetime.
2. Do not run because others are running.  Your timing may be different from theirs.
3. Do not run in the same direction with everyone. Their destination may be different from yours.
4. Do not run without asking questions. Good counsel can become handy like a map.
5. Do not run without a reason.
Migration birds know their time of flight and do not move because every other birds are flocking. They know their destination and therefore are focused on their goal.