Craig Clouston

Be Prepared

Be prepared in season and out of season … to discharge all the duties of your ministry.
2 Timothy 4:2, 5

Of the one hundred twenty-one merit badges young men can earn in the Boy Scouts, Lincoln had amassed ninety-five total badges. Each badge had increased his experience, knowledge, and skill in a specific discipline, spanning a broad spectrum from American business to woodworking. Lincoln needed only one more mandatory badge to meet the twelve-of-fifteen badge requirement necessary to attain the rank of Eagle Scout. Today’s review for his Citizenship in the World merit badge would complete that objective.
However, unlike prior reviews, where he’d studied and restudied the relevant material, Lincoln hadn’t spent much time preparing for this badge. He’d been pressed for time and had assumed he would be alright with a cursory examination of the issues. Finding he was unprepared, he approached his counselor, “I’m sorry, Mr. Barns. I’ve been so busy that I didn’t take time to review the subject matter on international law,” he admitted. “Can I please reschedule this review?”
“Alright, Lincoln, we’ll reschedule for next week,” Mr. Barns agreed. Then he added, “And when you come next week, do as our motto says: Be Prepared.”
Following a week of intense study, Lincoln passed his review, obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout. At the badge presentation, Mr. Barns spoke of the rescheduling, and the importance of being prepared, “Because you never know what life might bring.”

†

Like Lincoln, many of us put off preparing for upcoming events, relying on present knowledge to carry us through, sighting busyness as the reason for our lapse in judgment. The truth is … we will make time for those things which are important to us. Un-preparedness, conscious or otherwise, will cause us to fail the testing of such knowledge.
Paul’s charge to Timothy was that he be prepared for every eventuality in order that he might be able to discharge all the duties of his ministry.
Put in perspective: our failure to prepare may not only have us asking for a redo, we could very well miss an opportunity to minister to someone else.

Prayer

“Lord, show me what I need to focus on today to be ready for what comes my way. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”