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THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION

Hey friends, how are you today? I’m back…. Happy first day of October.  Can you believe nine whole months have gone by already? Nine months! So much have happened in the last few months since my last post.  We traveled to NYC twice, to Buffalo, NY, to Niagara Falls (separate from Buffalo trip) to Myrtle Beach, SC and to Gatlinburg, TN, we’ve also been to Springfield, OH.  And then there was the comfort and joy of family visits and local excursions and answered prayers.  Am I forgiven? I can’t promise there won’t be another lapse, but I will try to avoid the silence of almost three months.  So, how are you? How have you been? How was your summer? 

Truthfully though, in spite of all the events and activities and travels, if I was more prepared, I could have kept up with the blog more often.  Most of these events didn’t take me by surprise, I knew they were coming, I planned for them. But since on most occasions, I write a blog post on the same day as it is published; during these activities, time was not on my side.  Haven’t you felt lately that time seems to move at the speed of light? 

There is this quote that reads “by failing to prepare, you prepare to fail”. In Proverbs 6, the Lord encourages us to plan and prepare, just as the ants prepare during the summer, by gathering their food.  Failure to prepare displays a lack of trust in the Lord, I think.  When I was younger, I was so discouraged by what I perceived to be lack of care from the Lord, because He would not give me what I want, I determined I wouldn’t make plans.  Because … what was the use, if they wouldn’t actually become a reality? 

But how do I know it’s path if I didn’t prepare? And why should I believe there is just one way to accomplish my goal? And why must I believe that the plans I have made are the best for me? To make plans and leave out the Master is to fail.  But to bring my plans to the Master is success, whether the plans fail or not, because His plans for me is best.  To make a plan and fail to prepare for the success of the plan is for the plan to lack commitment.  (How many times can I say ‘plan’)?   

I once heard this story about some Christian farmers who prayed for rain, but only a young boy walked with His umbrella.  Do I trust the Lord? Do I trust that whatever His plans for me, they come to bring me prosperity and hope? Okay then… I can make plans, I can bring these plans to Him, I can begin to prepare for these plans to become a reality. But if they do not, if they fail to succeed, I will trust that the Lord has prepared better for me.

As people, we matter to the Lord.  In Psalm 139, again and again, we are told of this truth.  People matter to the Lord. You matter to the Lord.   Your plans, your desires, they matter. And because they matter, we commit these plans and desires to the Lord, because He is faithful and true, and He loves us completely.  We let go of the plans and trust Him with it.  

In order for our plans to succeed, there should always be preparation. Commitment and importance are displayed when I prepare for the success of my plans.  In order to ensure there are no more delays in my blog posts, I must make the plans to accommodate that plan.  There may be days, when it may be unavoidable, but it won’t be because of my negligence.  Which I must admit to for these past few months.  

What are a few of my preparation techniques? 

  1. Pray and commit my plans to the Lord.  Although He already knows, He is interested in what I have to say and also saying it out loud gives it worth.  
  2. Avoid distractions. One of my biggest distracted lately has been reading and listening to audio books.  Because there is nothing necessarily wrong with these, there are days when I do this instead of that.
  3. List a few topics for future posts, add a few deadlines to avoid procrastination as I may need to also research a few of the topics.  
  4. Write the complete blog post (at least) the day before it’s published date.

These are a few of the steps I have planned to take in order for me to have a post ready.  It is important to me.  If you are like me and our posts have become a bit sporadic, due primarily to lack of preparedness, let us take this journey to doing better.  

What are some of your plans for the remainder of the year? What are some of your preparation techniques?

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28 responses to “THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION”

  1. I’m so glad you are back. I have actually been worried about you. Glad you have had a good summer with a chance to visit so many places. I love the story about the little boy who carried an umbrella. Lately I have been carrying a notebook with me to write down thoughts/ideas as they come. Too often I think “that would be a good blog” only to forget it later. Welcome back!

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  2. It’s good to hear from you again. Missed you 🙂

    Everything you said is so true. I have a 19 year old who is learning the frustration of committing her plans to the Lord and having doors close again and again. I am praying that she knocks on the right door soon so she can experience the joy of knowing that God’s plans were better than what she was pursuing (though there is nothing inherently wrong at all with what she is wanting to do).

    How often are you aiming to post? I bet the break will actually give your writing new vigor!

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    • My plan is to still keep to 2 posts a week. But it is open to negotiate 😂😂 how thankful I am that our God is forever faithful. Our younger was in a similar situation, her dad and I had to pray that the Lord would give her hope and keep her from discouragement. Praying that the Lord will reveal His plans for her

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  5. Brenda, it sounds like wonderful getaways and glad you all made it back home safely. I understand sometimes life prevents us from keeping up with our blogs and know your presence in this space is missed. Have a wonderful day in the Lord.

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  6. Oh, Brenda, I have truly missed your wise posts! I needed this one today for encouragement. I am grabbing on to the fact that the Master has the plan and I need to find out what it is and follow it. Welcome back! And post when the Spirit inspires you…you always have something good to share!

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    • It was wonderful. As a matter of fact, our daughter moved to Ohio, so we used this trip to visit with her. We drove from Ohio, through Kentucky to get to Tennessee. The landscape throughout is stunning. Our God loves beauty, because it was seen throughout. Perhaps next time,❤️

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  8. It is good to hear from you. To prepare for the day, I start by asking God to order my day and direct my steps. Then I jot down the things I want to accomplish/need to accomplish and try to listen to the Lord’s promptings so his plans become my plans. It works when I listen:)

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  9. I love your posts , but I don’t think you need to feel obligated to write , unless you are led by God. I think it’s great that you’ve been busy ! Sounds like some fun trips . And now , our birthday month has come around again! Girl, I’m going to be 60! Thanks for this encouragement to plan for the future even when the world looks like it’s going to fall apart any minute.

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