Planning
Prepare for today….. you will not journey here again.
Recently, I planned a one-night trip out of town; I had prepared ahead of time and checked off each item on my list as I packed. Still, for the first few miles came the nagging concern maybe I had overlooked something.
My devotionals this morning discussed two different kinds of preparation; for an event or activity and preparation for the day.
When we travel out of town we have an idea of what activities we’ll be doing and we pack accordingly. In the everyday of our lives we often have no such fore knowledge. We don’t know what the day will bring. How do we prepare for those situations?
In Toastmaster’s we have a part of the meeting that is titled “Table Topics” each speaker has two minutes to speak on a topic/question posed by the Table Topics Master. It’s on-the-spot thinking, organization and speaking. It’s about responding spontaneously, but not really. After attending a few meetings, you realize you have gained knowledge from each meeting on how to prepare to speak spontaneously, how to organize your thoughts, and the skills needed for an effective delivery.
This can be true in our lives also. Preparation is not a guarantee, we may miss an opportunity, but we have a better chance of being more attentive if we spend time in preparation. We can prepare ahead for our day by reading the Bible, a devotional and committing time to prayer.
When you relinquish your day to God’s plan:
- You will be more available for others, both to listen and to hear.
- You will grow in the confidence you have been placed where you are for a reason you may never understand.
- And you will experience trust that the day’s events are in the control of the one who knows.
Along your life journey there have been experiences preparing you for today. It may have been a part of your life you considered a terrible failure, only to later understand out of that experience you are better prepared to bring encouragement to another. It may have been a time you were unfairly judged and now you reach-out to another instead of pretending you don’t see the injustice or pain. It may have been a time you experienced suffering, now you offer compassion.
Prepare for today….. you will not journey here again.
May your day land Jelly Side Up
Nelle
