Being Prepared

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (I Peter 3:15b-16 NIV)

It was the longest two minutes of my life.  Standing in front of Miss Williams’ 6th grade class trying to multiply two fractions on the chalkboard.  As I struggled to figure it out, she said to me, “We will not go to recess until you solve the problem.”  Talk about pressure!  And I wilted under it.  I was caught unprepared.  Eventually, after it was apparent I couldn’t do the problem, the teacher relented and let the class go to recess.  It remains one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.  

Preparation is essential to doing things right and doing them well.  As we are in the midst of the NBA and Stanley Cup playoffs, the athletes are the epitome of preparedness.  They practice for hours daily during the season as well as the offseason. Even competitors with enormous talent and ability, if they are slackers in preparation, they will not go far.  

Preparation is the key to success in almost every aspect of life.  If you have not prepared for the MCAT, you will probably not go to medical school. If you have not prepared well for a career (by learning rather than just achieving a good GPA), you are much less likely to be successful.  If you have not properly prepared for marriage, you are going to struggle to have a healthy one.

 

The same is true for followers of Jesus who seek to lead others into a relationship with the Lord.  If the time comes when someone asks you why you follow Jesus, if you are not prepared to give them an answer besides something like, “well, I’ve just always believed,” then you are not going to be very persuasive.  

Preparation in any discipline requires a lot of time and thought.  For many Christians, they have spent little time thinking about what they believe and why they believe it.  For the unbeliever, saying “I’ve always believed” or “because the Bible says so” doesn’t really cut it.  And these types of answers are really reflective of a lack of preparation. 

Today, consider how prepared you are to give an answer to the question, why do you believe?  Can you answer it in a way that is reasonable and from the heart?  If not, then start preparing.  There is nothing worse than facing a moment where you should be ready and you are totally unprepared. 

© Jim Musser 2015