In Preparation

"Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.

Learn from their ways and become wise!

7 Though they have no prince

or governor or ruler to make them work,

8 they labor hard all summer,

gathering food for the winter."

Proverbs 6:6-8

There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:

25 Ants—they aren’t strong,

but they store up food all summer.

Proverbs 3:24-25

What are you doing to prepare yourself for the future?  What kind of goals and plans are you making?  Or have you even considered the future?  To some extent we all make plans for the future.  Where we often fall short is the self discipline to see them through.  First, we simply may not have made our plans that are within the will of God.  If so, then we should not expect to successfully achieve our goals.  Second, we simply may not have a step-by-step strategy in place to achive our goals. Poor planning and preparation never achieves anything good.  Third, we don't consider the unexpected.  When we set our plans, we often choose to ignore the unknowns, expecting our plans to go just as we desire them to go.  So when the unexpected does happen, we are quickly thrown off course and sometimes spiral so out of control we never get back on track.

In the selected passages above, we see the hard working ant.  He works all summer to store up food for the winter.  He has no idea if winter will be long or short.  He has no idea how harsh and cold winter will be.  He simply goes about preparing for the future, storing up enough food to last the WHOLE winter - however long that will be - however harsh it will be.  There's no time for being lazy.  He has a plan and he works to achieve it.

Like the ant, we must prepare and be ready to carry out the work necessary for the future - spiritually, physically, educationally, financially, professionally.  If your plan is to grow closer to the Lord, then spend time in the Word, in prayer, and in worship.  You can't predict what the enemy will throw your way, but if your footing is on solid ground, you will prevail with God's help.  If your plan is to achieve good financial stewardship, then take the steps necessary to pay off debt and live within your means.  You can't predict what future financial pitfalls may come your way, but if you have saved up for the future, you will be prepared.  If your plan is to get a good education to help you land a good job, then spend time in study to prepare for your future.  You may not know what your future career will hold, but if you don't have a high school diploma/GED or some kind of specialized training, it will be difficult to achieve a decent career or job.  If your plan is for strong family relationships, then make time for your family a priority!  We can't control the choices our children make, especially once they are adults, but if we build strong family bonds and raise them up in Christ, chances are they will make godly choices.  If we plan to live long, healthy lives, then we must prepare now by eating right and exercising.

The lure of laziness keeps us from maximizing our opportunities to prepare for the future. So, turn off the T.V..  Log off facebook.  Keep the time you spend in idle, unproductive activities in check.  Though these activities help us to relax, let's minimize the time we spend in the virtual world so we can maximize the time we spend in the real world preparing for the future - for the future will be here tomorrow.


In His Love, Cathy