(by Lorie Codispoti)
I never feel ready. For anything. Ever.
Looking back, I didn’t feel ready for motherhood, teaching, or for my children to leave home. Presently, I never feel like my house is ready to receive guests. My suitcase rarely feels ready for a trip (no matter how full it is), and this article won’t feel ready for publication (regardless of edits) when it's due. And, should tomorrow come, I’m pretty sure I won’t feel ready for my grandchildren to be grown and another season of life to pass.
Like a monkey who refuses to get off my back, there always seems to be one more thing I need to do to feel ready.
I wonder if the Apostle Paul felt ready for the trials he faced after surrendering his life to Christ? What about the disciples? Hardship was a way of life for first century Christians, but were they ready for the suffering they would endure after being filled with the Holy Spirit?
Can we really be ready for something, especially when we can’t predict the details of future events? The answer is yes, we can.
Once upon a day, way back in the 1970’s, there was a song titled I Wish We’d All Been Ready (by Larry Norman). It was the sobering lament of a person who realized he had been left behind when Jesus returned, and his biggest regret was that he wasn’t ready.
I’m reminded of the two stories Jesus told about being prepared for future events. The first one contrasts two sets of women who are awaiting the arrival of their groom (Mtt.25). They knew he was coming, but they didn’t know when. The other story is about two men who build waterfront homes. One was careful to build on a proper foundation and the other thought he was fine without one (Lk.6). Both stories point out the wisdom of being prepared.
I think it’s important to distinguish the difference between feeling ready (emphasis on “feeling”) for something and being prepared for it. A surgeon may be fully prepared for a complicated surgery, yet not feel ready for the unexpected things that may arise during the operation.
Being ready is more of an emotional state that has everything to do with confidence. The wise women were the only ones prepared with oil for their lamps, but neither they or the unwise women were ready. Their confidence waned when the bridegroom was delayed, so they went to bed. They were ALL asleep when he arrived. None of them were ready. Likewise, neither of the two builders were ready for a category five hurricane. How could they be; they didn’t know when it would happen. But, one of them was prepared for the inevitable storms that come with having an ocean view.
None of us feel ready for an accident, a sudden death, disease, or a catastrophic event. We may not FEEL ready, but we can BE ready.
One writer notes, “Ready is the outcome of deep knowing.”
Readiness aligns itself with knowing God and having our confidence rooted in Him. I can be ready for the unknown because of the One I know. I’m sure there were times when Paul and the disciples felt like the were not ready for the things they had to endure. But God had prepared each of them for their assignments, and as they pressed on in knowing the God who sustained them their confidence in Him grew. For 100 years Noah worked on building that ark. He had no way of knowing when the rain would start, but he was ready when it started sprinkling and God shut the door.
When I look back now, I realize that while I didn’t feel ready for some of what life brought, God had prepared me.
My house is not perfect, but I’m ready if you’d like to come over for tea. I may discover something missing from my suitcase when we get to our destination, but I’m ready for a trip. My confidence in Him is what gives me the courage to be ready, whether I feel it or not. I don’t need to FEEL ready to BE ready.
Do you hear that, monkey? You’ve been given your marching orders to get off my back and return to the trees where you belong. No more free rides for you!
Don’t be like the man in the song, who discovered too late that he should have been ready.
“Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”
Be prepared and you will be ready. Build your faith on the solid Rock and keep your eyes open for the day our Groom comes to take us to the home He has prepared for His bride.
No comments:
Post a Comment