Being Prepared

As I get older I am appreciating preparing ahead of time. Sadly my life as I have known hasn't required a whole lot of preparation, or maybe I was able to skate through. As a teacher I know the value of being prepared ahead of time. If you really want your students to learn you have to prepare in advance. Sure, you might be able to get by and most of the students will do alright, but you aren't really being effective. When teachers prepare ahead of time students learn, and a by product is that with good preparation good student behavior follows.

I know there are some things we can't prepare for in life, but the majority of life is able to be prepared for in advance. The emotional, physical, relational and spiritual components of our life all benefit from preparation. Yet I hardly ever prepare for the emotional, relational and spiritual situations in which I am involved and very seldom for the physical. Yet I am realizing that I need to prepare, that much of my life is about preparation.

I know there are certain relationships for which I need to prepare. Sometimes the effects of relationships can disturb our well being. There are also emotional situations that I need to be working towards or I will not react adequately when I am confronted with them. Our ability to live in community and interact with each other takes more preparation than we think. If there is someone who is good at what they do, it is because they are prepared. Yet how good are we at being husbands, fathers, friends, co-workers, sons, daughters, etc.? We can either prepare to be good, or even great, in these relationships or we can settle for being mediocre. Plus we might as well get used to preparing, because this life is about preparation for the next. Whether we are preparing to live with God or be absent from His presence, our lives and the decisions we make are preparing us.