The tagline for the Boy Scouts of America was changed in 2011 to, Prepared. For Life. It's previous motto was, Be Prepared. Either way, the organization wants it's members to ready themselves. Prepare means to make ready for use or to create a plan in advance. This is something I drive myself crazy trying to accomplish, daily. But, there doesn't appear to be any way to prepare for every situation life throws at you. To think of every possible solution to every possible problem is an insurmountable task.
There are those people who can be spontaneous, who don't have to plan. Do you know them? They appear to breeze through life as if each new day is an adventure that they can't wait to explore. This is not me. This is definitely not my son. We must prepare him for everything. We talk in advance about the changes in seasons, since it means changing the types of clothes he will wear - short versus long-sleeve, pants versus shorts, etc. We also discuss the evening routine, every night, even though it doesn't change much. We use timers, give warnings, show him calendars. We do this to avoid the unexpected, because the unexpected brings anxiety, and anxiety can bring negative behaviors.
Then, there are those days when the pieces just don't seem to fit. Even though the same piece previously fit snugly right in the center the day before, it just does not fit anymore. What happened? Life can't be predicted. Not for O or for any of us.
Since things aren't always going to go as planned, even if you prepare for them, we need coping skills. I need to be able to say, even though a situation is not what I want or what I planned for, I have a strategy to deal with it. If something takes me by surprise, I have a back-up plan. This is something that has become increasingly important for O. Because, I can't prepare him for everything. And, even when I do prepare him, sometimes it just doesn't work. It's just not enough. He needs to have those strategies, to know what to do when his current situation is different than what I told him it would be or what he had predicted.
I believe that's what God has done for us, does through our daily experiences. He has not provided us with an outline of the exact plan or given us all the details. But, he prepares us. He puts us in situations, give us verses or songs, or places us in the company of certain people, so that when we find ourselves in a situation that we haven't planned for, we can lean onto those things. Onto the fact that He has prepared us. He has given us the coping skills that we need.
Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance
from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything
work out according to his plan.
from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything
work out according to his plan.
- Ephesians 1:11 (NLT)
God uses [scripture] to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
- 2 Timothy 3:17 (NLT)
Chosen in advance. That means he has already done it. He's already prepared or equipped us. Every experience that we've had. Every joy. Every sorrow. Everything that we have done has been preparing us for something. There's nothing left to chance. There is no spontaneity. Yes, we have choices. We can choose whether or not to follow His plan. Regardless of what we decide, we are ready. We have been prepared for it. He knows what we need and He gets us there.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. A
spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. It is the one and only Spirit
who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
- 1Corinthians 12:4, 7, 11 (NLT)
As this passage in Corinthians continues, Paul describes the various gifts of the Spirit. There are so many of them. Everyone can be used by God. In different ways. At different times in our lives. We can all be used.
Most of the time I feel unworthy of being used by God. Sometimes I think, who am I, that God can even use me. What do I have to offer? My friend, colleague, and blogger at She Becomes, wrote a statement earlier this week that I immediately connected to. She wrote, "I have asked God why He is choosing me for this task when I am incapable. Why not assign me to something that I can better relate to? Something deeply intertwined in my life. Something in my roots." But, our life doesn't always fit neatly into the puzzle we've created. It can't be predicted. And, that's where faith steps in.
When A told me, as a kindergartener, that she wanted to be a cheerleader, I can honestly say, I was a little disappointed. I had this little girl that was so bright. Capable of anything. And, she wanted to be a cheerleader. Yes, I was biased and was making assumptions about cheerleaders that weren't fair. Of course, I never let her know these opinions and ultimately supported her desire to try this sport.
What I couldn't have known is what I would gain from her decision to participate. There have been so many people, mothers of other cheerleaders, who have become my friends. Who have become people who I enjoy spending time with, who I share with, who I need, and who have come to need me in ways that I would never have imagined.
I was having a conversation with one of those women recently, and praying with her. Now, if you would have asked me three years ago, if I would I be praying with this person about something so devastating, about the things that are happening in her life, I would have said, "You. Are. Crazy." Number one, I'm never going to know any of these people well enough, to have a real friendship with them. Number two, I'll never feel ready to pray with someone, to take on that responsibility. But, you know what? It happened.
And when it did, I didn't feel ready. At the moment when I knew that I needed to be that kind of friend, I still didn't feel ready. I still don't think that I lived up to my own standards, but I am confident that I did the job that God had planned for me, that He prepared me for, had led me to. I could never have prepared myself for it. He knew, three years ago, when I first met this person, about this exact conversation. He knew about the tragedy that would take over her life. He knew He would use me. To be a part of something so big, feels so incredible. I feel honored and blessed to have been used.
