Preparation Is Essential to Success

Eph 6:15 And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. AMP

Worry is like a rocking chair. It keeps you busy, but you don’t get anywhere. Worrying about the future is not productive, rather it is destructive. It causes stress that affects your mental acuity and your body can become sick. Thus, worrying will make your future bleak. When the future comes it could be just as you pictured. Most of the time it is never as bad as you thought, but you wasted time worrying about it.

Preparation on the other hand is productive. You are expending energy and resources, but for a better future. When that day comes your preparation will pay off. It is an investment in your future. Once you are prepared you will be able to be at peace knowing that you’ve done what is needed to make your future the best it can be. The rest is up to the Lord and He has that wrapped up for sure.

We all want to succeed. Preparation must be a part of it. You will not just drift into success. Preparation is never wasted.

For instance, we are checking out some colleges for our daughter, Jenessa. She is interested in a field of study and that narrows down the field of colleges. We had gone to a couple that offered it and liked some things about them. But, we ruled them out after we went to another college that is about three hours away. We really liked this one. We thought this is it. There was a lot of preparation, time and energy in this process already.

We were still not sure. So, instead of worrying about it we had to schedule some more trips to colleges. I had not gone with my wife and daughter to one college they had gone to. It had been in the running. So, all of us went back to this one and included a visit with a professor. We all were so impressed with the connection she had with the needs of the students to succeed and that the curriculum would be relevant to the work place that it put this college back at the top. I am so glad we invested another day of our time to pursue this. I am now at peace and confident that my daughter will be given the best possible education for this line of study.

There is more preparation needed with placement testing, scholarship applications, paperwork, etc. But it is a part of investing in the future. Does this preparation always guarantee success? No, at least not always in the way you think it will turn out. But, to not do anything pretty much will doom you to a dismal outcome. So, I encourage you to take the time to prepare. Replace the worry with preparation. The time, energy and resources will not be wasted. Place the rest in God’s hands and live in peace.