Thoughts on Preparation

What is preparation?  According to Merriam-Webster, preparation is “the act or process of making something ready for use or service or of getting ready for some occasion, test, or duty.”

We can gather a couple of key elements from this definition.  For one, preparation is not necessarily a single act.  Although many situations in life can be prepared for with a single effort, most don’t come so easy (even if we try to make them work with one try – aka exams).  Second, preparation can consist of either action or a process.  Basically, becoming prepared for something can involve specific deeds on our part and/or allowing ourselves to be changed by external people or circumstances.  


For instance, take marriage – although a major portion of preparing for this type of lifelong commitment involves deliberate, committed action (counseling, reading books, seeking out mentors), another vital part involves allowing life to teach us the lessons we would never learn otherwise, or as Proverbs puts it, having an “ear that hears the rebukes of life.”

Third, preparation has a specific goal – by definition, the process of becoming ready requires an end goal or purpose worth the effort.  This can be applied to our lives in three ways

1. Stephen Covey – “Begin with the end in mind.”  Do we have an “end” for everything we do?  Are our actions and choices in life due to a series of random whims and emotions, or are they steps toward specific results?  Have we taken the time to define the goals for which we can take action?  What is your measure of success for a goal – how do you know you’ve accomplished it?   Effective preparation begins and ends with a solid grasp of the end result.
2. Another view involves a reminder to constantly evaluate the ends to which we devote all our means.  Is the goal worth the time and sacrifices we are making for it, or will we accomplish it only to realize that our ladders were against the wrong wall?
3. Finally, for believers, this can be seen through the lens of God’s sovereign ways and will which is accomplished in each our lives through every circumstance and situation, good or bad.  Because He is closely involved in the final product, the end result is always worth the process and journey.

Each of these ideas can be expanded into hundreds of pages or sermons, but we’ll go on.  Now that we know what the idea of preparation is, how does this apply to our personal destinies?  Many of us believe that God has significant purposes and plans for our lives.  Jeremiah 29:11 is our battle cry when we’re feeling like the world doesn’t make sense and that our lives are in ruins.  When we look at the various callings that God has for us, however, it naturally leads to the realization that His purpose is an amazing goal that we can only accomplish with His grace and guidance.  So, we depend on Him to prepare us for what He’s called us to do.

What does this preparation entail, however?  If we really think about it, we each have our preconceived notions of what constitutes proper preparations for our callings.  Think about it – if God has placed a destiny and future into your heart, there are certain processes and items you expect Him to put you through in order to prepare you.  At the same time, there are a host of items that you would think highly unnatural of Him to use in your process. 

Let’s say that God has called you to become a youth leader and influence thousands of youth in the future.  You naturally expect Him to have you go through some kind of Christian studies, right? You can definitely see Him placing you in situations which develop your patience, communication skills, and compassion/empathy with others.  This can involve anything from seminary to serving with HYPF to working with a ministry for troubled youth. 

How about going to business school? 

“Hmm…that could work – maybe God wants me to learn good administration to learn how to run an effective ministry.” 

  

Spend a summer working at a home for seniors.

“Ok…I was thinking more along the lines of that really cool singles group internship, but this could work.  It’s still ministry, right?”

Go study anthropology.

“Wait, what?!”

Our reactions to these types of questions reveal our pre-formed ideas of how God will prepare us for His calling.  However, the simple fact of the matter is that God’s methods of preparation have been, and will always remain, far outside our understanding or comprehension.  What we consider to be preparation may be the complete opposite of the path He has for us.  The fact is that He’s more concerned with who you’re becoming rather than what the intended result is.  This immediately brings many questions to mind, but before we go on, let’s examine the life of Christ.

Place yourself in the Father’s shoes – the Son is about to go to earth to save humankind from their sin.  How should He be prepared for His life’s work?  If it were me, I’d have Him be born in a middle class family in Jerusalem.  In this way, He wouldn’t be too far above the lowly but high enough to understand the “high class” as well.  I’d have Him study under the best Jewish scholars, including traveling around Israel to get a holistic idea of where the Jews are at this point in history – maybe even include some travel to other parts of the Roman Empire.  Then, when He was at the age for advanced schooling, I’d put Him into an intensive Temple internship under the best rabbis in town.  They would teach Him effective leadership and introduce Him to all their contacts around Israel – this would give Him a head start when He began His own ministry.  Some well-timed speaking appointments would also serve to effectively catapult Him into the spotlight at just the right time. 

Is this sounding familiar?  Take a moment and think about it – how would you have planned Jesus’ life to prepare Him for His calling?  Now think about what the Father did.  He sent Him to the virtual Hicksville of Israel to live on the wrong side of the tracks in a carpenter’s household.  As far as we know, Jesus stayed and worked in and around Nazareth for 30 years – so much so that He would be known throughout the rest of His life as “the carpenter’s son from Nazareth”.  What was God thinking?  Jesus had the opportunity of His life at age 12 when He amazed the scribes and priests in the Temple with His knowledge.  His parents should have left Him there to thoroughly learn the Hebrew Scriptures with the top teachers of His day.  He would definitely have been more easily accepted if He had gone this route.  Instead, “He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.” (Luke 2: 51).  Instead of quickly scanning past this verse, let’s think about what this really meant.  The Son of God left what seemed to the logical course of preparation and submitted Himself to the place and time of God’s choosing.  What was the result?  Verse 52 – “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6).  Takes on a whole new meaning now, doesn’t it?  Do you truly believe that God has a plan for you and that He will fulfill it?  If so, do you have the same trust in Him with regard to how He prepares you for His plan?  If His preparation doesn’t match your expectations, is your trust in Him diminished?  Do you automatically assume that He has abandoned you?  Or do you choose to trust in a God Who knows exactly what He’s doing – Who handcrafted the exact path of His choosing for His Son?  When the path He chooses for you seems like it’s heading to just about anywhere but where He called you, do you still believe Him?

In the end, consider your preparation well.  Do everything that’s in your strength to get ready for your future – don’t expect Him to do what He’s given you the strength and opportunity to do.  At the same time, understand that His path for you will most probably include elements that don’t make sense to you – even the most effective of God’s servants have felt like their lives were in complete ruins before things started to make sense.  As with every other situation in life, the choice is our’s – do we truly trust Him, or do we only believe when He makes sense?

Who is Your God to you?

(picture credit: clipart.com)