Preparation Pays

The thought that I just might be crazy did dance through the neurons and synapses of the brain that I was seriously beginning to question whether or not I actually had. The thin red tube of mercury on the thermometer was flirting with the 100 degree mark, and I…well, of all things, I was doing the extremely important work of getting a hunting stand situated and in place. I know, I know, there are a million and ten other things a person can do in the middle of the summer, so why on God’s green Earth was I hanging out with ticks, chiggers, and other critters with a steady flow of salt-water pouring out of my body to get a hunting stand ready for use when hunting season was still months in the future? Simple – Preparation Pays.

If I were to wait until it was time to actually participate in the adventure of the hunt to get everything situated and ready, I would find myself frustrated with a number of hindrances to the hunt. Tree limbs that should have been trimmed would obscure my vision. Wasps that should have been exterminated would attempt to make a joyful experience painful. A roof that should have been replaced and repaired would have rained on my little parade. And on and on we could go. Preparation – while it can be hard work and a terrible inconvenience for the present time, pays dividends later on down the road.

So if this is true for my little deer hunting scenario, can we also apply this to other areas of life? In countless ways! If the student doesn’t put the hard work and effort into studying and researching, then when exam day rolls around, the results won’t be what they want. If the woodsman attempts to cut the trees without first sharpening the saw and ax, the effort will be much more wearisome. If the parent waits until the day a child leaves home for college to attempt to impart wisdom and life skills, the realization that too much time was wasted will settle in quickly. You get the idea.

Scripture tells us that we humans – in all of our superiority of wisdom – can learn much about life from the smallest of critters among us – ants! Of these ants, Proverbs 6:6-8 declares that we can, Observe its ways and become wise. Without leader, administrator, or ruler, it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food during harvest. My wise old dad used to simply tell me, “Boy, you gotta make hay while the sun shines!” In a thousand different situations, I have now come to understand how important that discipline is in this brief little experience we get called life.

So take it from this sweat-drenched, chigger-infested, tick-bitten guy…Preparation Pays. You’ll be glad you put in the hard work when your kid asks that difficult question…your deadline for a project is quickly approaching…your doctor visit renders news you didn’t want to get…your buck of a lifetime walks past your hunting stand…etc. And when the fall rolls around and big bucks begin searching for girlfriends, I’ll be dry, able to see, and so glad that the heat of July is a thing of the past! Whether we’re enjoying a summer swim, or sharing the prepared stand together in the fall, somewhere down the road, I’ll see you in the Great Outdoors.