Somehow I always thought I would be “all ready” when the time came for …
- college
- my first full time job
- marriage
- moving away from The Bronx
- babies (after all, I had to have read at least six baby books including Dr. Spock’s!)
- toddlers
- teenagers
- rejection
- disappointment
Shall I go on? No matter how ready I thought I was, I was never “ALL ready”.
“Ready”, as defined by dictionary.com means: “completely prepared or in fit condition for immediate use; duly equipped; adjusted”. And therein lies the problem. Each of these roles, or changes in situation, required a process in which I needed to adjust and fit into my new role. Being prepared was something which would develop over time. But I must have missed the newsflash as I thought it would be an immediate occurrence.
Mark Batterson, in his book Drawing the Circle, writes this very profound and freeing statement:
You’ll never be ready. (page 112)
I can hear the sighs of relief. Or is it only me?
I am reminded of Abraham as God called him from his home …
“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith – for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.”
(Hebrew 11:8-9, NLT).
Abraham didn’t know where he was going so he could not possibly have been “all ready” for what God was going to unfold in his life. It was then the truth hit me … I will never be ready. And neither will you.
Paul, in writing about the difficult circumstances he endured, expressed it this way:
“We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely on God.”
(2 Corinthians 1:9, NLT)
It is as we are totally unprepared that we come to the point of relying on Someone other than ourselves. We come to the end of ourselves, acknowledging we do not have the resources to move forward.
 God does not want us to live solely by our intelligence or what we know.
He wants us to rely on Him.
Total dependence.
All. Ready.
This is Day 29 of 31 Days Of Going In Circles. You can find the entire series here .
Today I am joining … Tell His Story and Wedded Wed. and Woman 2 Woman and Works For Me and Coffee & Conversation and A Little R & R and Winsome Wed. .
You will never be ready. sigh…there is such freedom in this! My daily morning affirmation is “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Which in my own language means, Lord, life might go to heck and a hand basket today, but let me rely on you to get through it. 🙂 xoxo Nicki
Amen, Nicki. And somehow when we pray that, we find ourselves in His basket 🙂 The best place to be, fully provided for! Have a great day!
Amen! I NEVER feel ready for the big or the little–but that’s a good thing because it sends me to my knees where God can enter in and guide the situations.
Exactly, Anita. Ever relying!
Hi Joanne, shooo, I too feel like I will never be ready. There never is really a “right” time or “right” place to be is there? The most important thing for me I think is to constantly draw closer to the Lord, so He can at least nudge me on the “right” path as and when needed 🙂
God bless
Tracy
Tracy, may we always feel His nudge & obey!
So true! Never. Ever. Ready. Glad we don’t have to be when God is involved. 😉 Thanks for linking-up! Your words encourage us all. XO
He supplies & readies us as we go, not ahead of time. May we ever rely solely on Him. I enjoyed joining you today, Meredith.
Thanks for the post. I usually feel not ready! That’s why I took so long to start blogging. Thanks for the reminder to rely on Him.
Me too, Amanda. Then when I did start blogging, I didn’t link or leave comments for the longest time. Still very hesitant to join in at times. Keeps me relying on Him each day as I keep writing. Blessings!
This post is very, very encouraging! The Circle Maker books have changed my life and mindset about prayer. I love your insight today. Thank you!
These two books have changed my perspective so much. It’s been a good month for me personally. Thank you so much for stopping here, Jennifer!
This is a good reminder for me, Joanne. I am something of a perfectionist so I think I must do and do and do and then I’m often never satisfied with what might be my “done.” 😉 I feel like there’s more I must learn or prepare for before launching out with “whatever.” So you’ve spoken directly to me! Sometimes letting those strivings go and being satisfied that I did my best–albeit an imperfect best–is the “best way” to be obedient to the Lord. Thought-provoking post, my friend!
So very true, Beth. Our obedience to Him brings about our best as He blesses it. Thank you for sharing with me.
So very true! I never feel ready, but in the midst of it, I realize that God has been preparing me all along and He is walking with me. Thanks for the reminder!
It’s amazing Asheritah, how He prepares us while we remain unaware. Probably the very way He protects us from ourselves. Blessings!
Oh, how I needed your words this morning, friend. Thank you.
Grateful for you, Jennifer.
Ready, then, could almost be synonymous with, obedient! Abraham wasn’t “ready” but he was “obedient”. Light bulb moment. Good post.
Perhaps in our obedience, we discover He has readied us (?). Still much for me to think on & learn. Grateful you shared with me.
My goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever felt ready for anything. Maybe excited is a better word to use?
Big sigh of relief over here! Especially as I prepare for a day retreat on Saturday…I’ll never be all ready, what a relief…I was telling my friend who is co leading the day that times like these I am reminded how much I need to depend on God! Thanks for the permission to breathe and let God carry us through…
Kel, I will be praying for you and the retreat. As you depend and rely on God, you will find He has been preparing you all along. Breathe, friend, He will be with you!
I’m never as ready as I’d like to be. But then again, sometimes God needs us to be “unready” so we can turn to Him!
Jen, that is so it! It is the feeling of being “unready” that keeps us in total dependence on Him.