Don’t Overlook Your Eternal Preparation

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’ (Colossians 3:2)

There are concerns with the incoming Presidential administration that possible strikes by the longshoremen (the folks who work in our nation’s ports on both coasts) may happen should a push be made to modernize the process of loading and unloading ships by the US government.  It is possible, given the attention made by ‘DOGE’ (‘Department of Government Efficiency’), though it would seem DOGE is more focused on Federal fine-tuning rather than any one particular industry.  Another concern is the threat of Canada withholding their oil, gas, and electrical output from the US in response to possible tariffs imposed to force Canada (and Mexico) into compliance regarding illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Either one, or both, could disrupt the supply chain of goods coming into the US that we depend on.  Though the US can handle such disruptions (and a Canadian embargo of energy could be catalyst to jumpstart US energy independence in oil, gas and electricity generation), it would like cause greater inflationary increases in the daily costs of everyday staples of food, clothing and fuel and at least, in the short-term, shortages in these goods.  It would probably be good, though Christmas may be a hinderance to do so, to stock up on necessities to mitigate the impact of these possible shortages.  Should these shortages not occur, remember the 2025 hurricane season is only six months away so any preparations can be used for that contingency.  Better to have and not need, than to need and not have – in my humble opinion, your mileage may vary.

While it may seem I am preoccupied with earthly preparation, I am far more concerned over Eternal preparation.  I do mention preparation quite often as, due to my experiences with the US military and government agencies and the people one finds within these organizations, many are not concerned with preparing for events until the event is upon them.  When this happens, there is much stress and despair not only placed upon themselves but many others who must jump through hoops to accomplish tasks that with some modicum of prior planning and a small amount of time would have made it an easy endeavor.

 Many times I had to utter the words, ‘your lack of planning does not constitute a crisis on my part’ (although knowing who you can say it to is beneficial, and takes prior consideration).   There are enough things that occur that cannot be planned out or prepared for (a flat tire, sudden illness), so when you can prepare it can greatly reduce the number of anxiety attacks you may have.

We must preoccupy ourselves with what the Holy Spirit is concerned about, which are those ‘things above’, or Heavenly, Eternal things.  If you can see what is potentially coming ahead of you in your life – hurricanes, shortages, retirement, grandchildren, etc. – you can save time and sanity in preparing for those when you have the time and resources to do so.  When we are forced to react to things which we should have been prepared for but didn’t, we often act out in our power and not in conjunction with the Spirit, which burdens us even more. 

Jesus wants to share our burdens, so our preparations should always be with Him, asking Him for guidance and answers.  We compound our problems when Jesus is not allowed to lead us, and we often find ourselves in greater turmoil than if we had allowed Him to lead in the first place.  When we allow Jesus to help us prepare, it also allows us to be ready to be His witnesses when events occur.  When an event occurs, such as a hurricane, if you can share with others who may not able or willing to be as prepared.  Our Florida Disaster Relief teams are a great example of this; they prepare not only for self, but explicitly to help others.  Showing the Love of Christ through helping or sharing with others is as Paul writes. 

When you prepare, do it with the intention that your preparation will enable you to be calm and a beacon of light in the midst of a storm; your ability to stand upon the foundation of the Word will draw others toward Jesus!