Preparation

Preparation is monumental. They say that “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” Whether it is a sporting event, the workweek, or something as simple as weekend yardwork or household chores, we will not perform at a high level if we don’t go in prepared. The ratio of time that go into preparation as opposed to performance is staggering.

Think about landing a plane under emergency circumstances in the Hudson River. Years of preparation for minutes of action. Think about high school football where the next season starts immediately after the previous season with months of effort is invested for two hours on a Friday night. Think about Jesus. Jesus spent his youth studying the scriptures of the Old Testament; then during his ministry he spent hours in prayer and 40 days in the wilderness all in preparation for his calling.

The season between Thanksgiving and Christmas is Advent, the purpose of this season is preparation. It is a period of spiritual preparation for the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is also preparing for Christ’s return. Advent is a season of prayer, fasting, and repentance, followed by anticipation and joy. The word advent comes from the Latin term adventus meaning "coming," particularly the coming of something having great importance. Advent is asking us to create that favorable environment for Jesus to enter and operate in our lives as well as remove distraction so we can hear Him.

We hear about the overnight sensations that come out of nowhere. Reality is, that rarely happens. There are years of work, practice, patience, growth, and persistence that define preparation. An overnight success that takes years to occur is about preparation. Ray Kroc of McDonalds fame said, “I was an overnight success all right, but 30 years is a long, long night.” Starbucks had been in business for decades before it leapt onto the national scene. 

Louis Pasteur, a French microbiologist and chemist who is best known for discovering pasteurization, fermentation, and vaccination said it best, “Chance favors the prepared mind." The better prepared and more knowledgeable we are, the more likely we are to take advantage of any chance opportunities or observations. A mindset of preparedness starts with continuous learning and curiosity. A great example is Alexander Fleming; he saw a bit of mold in one of his bacteria-laden petri dishes. He noticed that all around the mold there were no bacteria. He could have shrugged it off or worse, blamed the mold for contaminating his petri dishes. However, as he stated in his Nobel Speech in 1945: “... that penicillin started as a chance observation. My only merit is that I did not neglect the observation.”

Our position at the very moment action starts can be critical, it matters. The instant it takes to lean forward or get in an athletic position could be the difference between success and failure in a fast-paced environment. A lot of life happens in the blink of an eye. These stances are also called ‘ready positions,’ the starting points for life’s movements and the ability to change direction or adapt. They require discipline and they must be intentional as they just don’t happen naturally. 

As Christian soldiers and competitors, we need to lean forward in our foxholes and be in an athletic position. Be ready to act on God's plan. Leaning forward is being prepared in our heart to share time, talent, and treasure as needed. It a very appropriate command for each of us as we live our daily lives. Lean forward and be prepared to engage apathy, injustice, hopelessness, hostility, envy, or whatever is challenging our spiritual walk. Lean forward and live our lives in readiness. An outcome of this readiness is peace and with peace, comes joy

Preparation is significant. We cannot just wing it and risk performing poorly. Something having great importance is coming.