Are You Prepared?

There seems in life always something that I am preparing for. It could be a talk that needs to be written, a podcast to tape, a bedroom to prepare for a guest who will be arriving soon, a meal to be eaten tonight when everyone gets home.……. Is that your life too?

I would assume so.

Young ones getting ready for school, making sure that they have a lunch and homework, assignments in their backpack…. checking what day it is for their after-school activities.

Young parents daily preparing food for the hungry mouths in their home, helping them with homework, assignments, sport and other activities…….

Older people preparing their retirement plans, repairing things around the house, planning outings, catch-ups…….

Preparation is part of what we do, different for different stages in our lives but always a part of them.

Now if you do not prepare well, whatever the activity, generally things don’t go well.

I remember a time when my daughters learnt ballet. They would learn one night after school and on Saturdays. Then at the end of the year the Ballet School would put on a Ballet Concert that would show all the families what they had learnt during the year.

Melissa had just turned four and it was her second year of ballet. In the first concert she ever did, she changed into her costume for each item she was in but never got on the stage. She got stage fright and sat on her Dad’s lap watching everyone else. But participated by getting changed each time into her ballet costume. She was very cute.

This now being her second year I tried to prepare her for being on stage and people watching. She appeared to be ok about it. She was doing an item called “Me and my Teddy Bear”, so the few weeks before the concert she picked out a Teddy Bear that she liked and it went with her to all of the practices.

On the day Melissa was in 2 items, the first one being with her Teddy Bear. She went already dressed for the first item and then her next costume with her name on it was put into the dressing room, out the back of the big concert hall. The music started and 15 little girls walked onto the stage. The music changed and the item had started. All the little girls were pointing and tapping and twirling with their Teddy Bears to the Song – “Me and My Teddy Bear.” As I scanned across the row of girls I spied my daughter – she was doing all of the actions and singing along to the song very happy but lo and behold no sight of any Teddy Bear!

I smiled to myself. All the preparation in the world, but if an assistant or teacher does not remind the children to take their teddy bears onto the stage with them, someone forgets.

Now Melissa was only four but how foolish would you feel if you were forty-four and had forgotten your presentation that you were showing your CEO? In life as you age hopefully you mature and prepare for things.

Jesus tells us, in our lives, to be spiritually prepared. The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13) tells the story of the ten waiting for when the Bridegroom will come. Five are prepared, ready with their oil lamps full of oil. Waiting for the time, which no one knows, of when the Bridegroom will arrive. (Jesus’ second coming at the end of Days.)

The other five have a plan – they will go buy the oil when they need it, no preparation in their thoughts or deeds. But while they are gone off to get the oil, the Bridegroom arrives and they miss the wedding banquet for the doors are shut to them.

A lack of spiritual readiness leads to missed opportunities and possible final separation from God.

This is reinforced in the Book of Proverbs where it says that if you are going to build a house, first get everything ready for it practically otherwise you will appear foolish if you can’t build it.

Prepare your work outside,
    get everything ready for you in the field;
    and after that build your house.

Proverbs 24:27 NRSV

The clever see danger and hide;
    but the simple go on, and suffer for it.

Proverbs 27:12 NRSV

Proverbs highlights the prudence of the wise in seeing and preparing for danger.

Where can you prepare your hearts, ready for when the Lord comes, calls and sends you? No, it does not matter if you forget your Teddy Bear in a concert but it matters if your heart is not turned towards Him, in tune with Him, when He comes again.

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May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Do you like to be prepared in life? What do you do when it comes to getting prepared for something?

Are you prepared for what God has called you to? Is there anything you could do to be more prepared?

What do you think God is asking of you right now at your stage of life?