Be Prepared
Man first landed on the moon after years of preparation. Likewise, a team which wins the cricket or football world cup or an athlete who wins gold at the Olympics does so after years of hard work and preparation. Again, no one clears a national level examination without long years of preparation. It is clear from these statements that preparation with a definite goal in mind is important for success.
There Is No Luck Factor
Several young people think that those who succeed do so because they have got talent or luck. This is untrue. A cricket or football player or an athlete spends several hours practising even when they not competing in an international event. That way they keep their talent polished and ready. That is true with all great players.
What about the luck factor? Nobody has succeeded in life because of luck. Then who are the persons who became lucky? In the words of Seneca, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Those people who got lucky were those who did not sit idle and waste their time. They used all the time they got to prepare themselves. And when the opportunity came they were ready.
God Keeps His Servants Prepared
David’s spend his childhood as a shepherd. That was God’s training ground for him to later become the shepherd, leader and king of the nation of Israel. First of all, his ability to take care of the sheep and protect them from the lion and the bear was a training ground for him to be able to trust in God to kill the giant Goliath.
Then his ability to play the harp well which he practiced and perfected while taking care of the sheep got him an entry into Saul’s court. As he stayed with King Saul, God gave David the shepherd boy an opportunity to learn the way administration is carried out in the palace. That helped him when he became king.
There is another aspect in David’s later life which we often forget. He had a great desire to build a temple for God Almighty. Yet God did not allow him to do so; but promised David that his son would build the temple. We all remember Solomon as the one who build the magnificent temple; but we forget that it was David who made extensive preparations for it (1 Chronicles 28 and 29).
So remember that your preparedness can impact the next generation with great blessings.
Be Ready for Your Opportunity
It is important to understand that the circumstances of your life, however difficult or unattractive it seems to be, are designed by God to give you the best preparation for your future. And when you are faithful to God in little things of life, he will promote you to greater things in life.
The secret is to trust God while he is preparing you. Your role is to be prepared and wait patiently for God to open the right door for you at the right time. Make the motto of the Scout Movement, “Be Prepared,” a motto of your life too.
Did not Jesus too emphasize the importance of preparedness when he told the parable of the ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1—13)? Therefore be ready and prepared for your opportunity!
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