Prepare Yourself

“I will prepare and one day my chance will come.” – Abraham Lincoln

Much of life is about preparation. Before bed, I make a list of what needs to be done tomorrow. I keep an ongoing list on the fridge of what items we need from the store. This summer I began a “Christmas file,” where I save unexpected money that comes in to get ready for Christmas shopping.

I occasionally sing for events. When I sang last week for a local ministry, I pulled out my notebook of lyrics and tracks ready for such an occasion.

Near the end of each month, I start making a list of what needs to be purchased the next month for our church’s ministry.

When I find a good illustration, I file it away to be used at an opportune time in my sermons or writing.

The Bible talks about the meticulous work and preparation of one of God’s smallest creatures: the ant. Proverbs 6 says, “Go to the ant . . . ; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest” (6-8).

These amazing creatures understand that great tasks are accomplished one grain of sand at a time. Near summer’s end, my backyard abounds with large fire ant hills. Amazingly, these monstrous creations are made by individual ants moving one piece of sand at a time. They achieve their goals by taking repeated small steps. They embrace small steps knowing that they will lead to the big goal.

We live in a day of instant gratification. With instant oatmeal, fast food, and internet shopping, we want healthy relationships, toned bodies, and deep spirituality to occur quickly.

As writers, we go to a conference and want to quickly produce the latest and greatest American novel. We return home hoping to win the next award, land a big agent, attract 1000 readers to our blog, or land a three-digit contract. And we want it to all happen before we return to the conference next year.
Quick-fixes may happen in video games and fairy tales, but they seldom occur in real life.

The wise person, instead, takes the long-range view of life and then practices discipline regularly.
Do I want to write a book in the next year? What am I doing this week to make that happen in small, incremental steps? Do I hope to put into practice something I learned at a conference? What if I sit down for one hour this weekend and review my notes and set some practical goals for the next month?
In life, opportunities tend to be seized and realized by prepared people.

There was a saying in the Revolutionary War that rings true: “Trust in God, but keep your powder dry.”  In other words, prepare myself.

Sometimes we need to stop hoping and start moving sand, one piece at a time.