There are times when you can’t fully prepare for an upcoming event.

You want to be completely ready; you know you’ll do well if you’re fully prepared, but you don’t have the time to do what is necessary.

Not that long ago I participated in cleaning up the sand left on our church parking lot from the winter. I knew it was going to require a lot of sweeping and I also knew that I hadn’t been doing much work with my hands. 

My hands are not tough – no calluses – so I didn’t expect it to be easy. I had full intention of bringing a pair of work gloves to give my hands a break, but forgot. I finished the day with about five blisters distributed over both hands. 

Even though I held the broom in different ways to change up the pressure, I couldn’t avoid the beating my hands received. 

Sometimes you have to face the consequences of not being as fully prepared as you wanted to be.

When I preach, I read over my sermon six times before I preach it. But sometimes I just run out of time or my schedule on Saturday doesn’t allow me to spend all the time that’s needed. Usually that means I will be looking down at my notes a lot more than usual.

Sometimes you just don’t feel as prepared or ready as you would like to be.

This week I will be going golfing with a couple of buddies, but I have yet to golf this year. In fact, over the last couple of years, I haven’t golfed much at all. 

I’m running out of time. I don’t have time to play a couple of rounds of golf before the match. I don’t even have the time to play one round prior to our game.

The only thing I can do is go to the driving range. I can hit balls. I can practice my swing … but it will only partially help. 

I can hit 80 – 100 golf balls at a range in less than an hour. Oh, it will help me be consistent with my shots on the course, but in that hour of hitting all those balls, I won’t move more than a few feet. I don’t have to walk to get to my next shot. I simply reach my club out and roll another ball towards my stance.

Without playing the game, I won’t be able to build up my stamina to walk that 6500 yards and hit the ball without any fatigue setting in. I won’t be able to practice hitting a ball out of a sand trap, or staring down an eight foot putt, accounting for a ball and a half break towards the hole. 

I’m looking forward to the game this week, but I will not be at my best. I will not play the way I want to play; I will not score to my potential. 

I’m just going to have to settle for what I can do to prepare between now and my golf game … and be happy with that. 

Here’s the thing: You may think you have not reached the place in your spiritual life that you should have. But if you are working at it to the best you can, with the time you have left, God is good with that. You can be happy with that.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What could you spend more time preparing for? Leave your comments and questions below.

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