Being Ready

We've got another hurricane out there. Everybody's trying to get ready. Most people will never feel ready for another hurricane.

We're training one of our youth to be ordained as an elder of the church. He get ordained in a couple of weeks. He probably doesn't feel ready.

Before our kids were born, I certainly didn't feel ready to be a dad, even though I read enough books about childbirth and early childhood to get an advanced degree in the subject.

I wasn't ready to say goodbye to our college students, at least until the next time I see them again. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Dedie or Sue, even though I'm truly enjoying getting to know Keith.

The thing is, being ready is overrated. It's good to be as ready as you can, to be prepared. A lot of times, though, there just is no being ready. You try, but you get blind-sided. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad.

Paul wasn't ready for Jesus when he met him on the road to Damascus. Peter wasn't ready for Jesus when he witnessed a miraculous catch of fish in his very own boat. Moses wasn't ready for the burning bush.

You don't have to be ready all the time. You have to be HERE. I think it's more important to have your eyes open than a complete plan for every possibility.

There's a balance here. It's wrong to just drift through life without thinking things out, but it's also wrong to focus so much on the possible that you lose sight of the actual.

Paul heard Stephen preach, and his eyes could have been opened then (and perhaps much less dramatically), but he wasn't really listening.

There's something else here: fear. Many times people go nuts about being ready because they are so afraid of the unknown ahead. I understand. I'm one of them. But I also know that God holds my future, and God loves me. I'm not a great fan of all of God's apparent choices, and I know God's not a great fan of all of mine.

Still, between the two, I think I'd rather choose love, not fear.

So, no, I'm not ready for another hurricane. And I'm not afraid either. I'll do what I have to, and I'll do what I can, and I'll trust God's love.

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