Be Prepared

My father earned the rank of Eagle Scout. I remember seeing the newspaper clipping with his picture announcing the achievement. From a young age I heard about various requirements, experiences, and knowledge my father learned from the scouting program. One thing I remember vividly is the Boy Scouts of America’s motto: Be prepared.

There is a story surrounding the motto and the founder of scouting, Baden-Powell. Once asked what we needed to be prepared for, Baden-Powell replied, “Why, for any old thing.” The Boy Scout website says:

The training you receive in your troop will help you live up to the Scout motto. When someone has an accident, you are prepared because of your first aid instruction.

But Baden-Powell wasn’t thinking just of being ready for emergencies. His idea was that all Scouts should prepare themselves to become productive citizens and to give happiness to other people.

Besides the obvious situations—first aid, life-saving practices, and so on--the founder wanted scouts to prepare to be productive citizen and give happiness to others. Preparation is for the entire scope of the scout’s life—not just for situation-by-situation moments in life.

[read Matthew 25:1-13]

There were some very unprepared ladies in this story. Did you catch what Jesus called them: the foolish. These unprepared, foolish ladies failed to be ready for a long wait outside the wedding chapel. They got the invitation. They accepted the invitation—they probably mailed in the RSVP card. They even showed up at the chapel for the wedding. They missed, however, a key step. They failed to be ready for the long haul. They weren’t prepared.

As young parents, Mark and I have decided that it’s best to be prepared than not. When going to a conference, a meeting, or on a shopping trip, it’s best to bring a couple extra diapers and bottles, then to run out. Trust me. It’s better to be prepared then left with one too few diapers. As simplistic and messy as this sounds, our life with Christ is also about being prepared for the long haul. We don’t know what is ahead, but we are called to live like Christ each day.

Did you notice that the actions of the foolish and the wise bridesmaids were the same, except for their preparation for the long wait? They all received and accepted the invitation to the wedding. They all got dressed up and came to the party. They most likely were indistinguishable from each other. That is until some lamps began to flicker, sputter, and go out. One-by-one, five lamp flames went out, leaving five bridesmaids in the dark. They were still the ones who received and accepted the invitation. They were still dressed up and at the door of the party. Now, however, they were plunged into darkness. The light from the other five “wise” bridesmaids were not enough to light up everything and everyone. It wasn’t possible to share--if the wise bridesmaids gave to the foolish, they would be plunged into darkness too. Each bridesmaid was responsible for her lamp. As the five foolish scrambled to get up and to the market for more oil, the wedding began—they missed the party.

All the this talk of weddings, lamps, and bridesmaids might be confusing, but hear this: we are being called to be prepared for what may be in our future (or not) and we are being called to be prepared to meet Christ. You can’t cram for this final exam. You can’t cheat. You can’t make up the work later. You must prepare today, tomorrow, and each day. How? Christian disciplines--those things that we hear about but find a hard time fitting into our lives: reading the Bible, prayer, meditation, compassion, serving others, fasting, living in community, walking with Christ daily. This is preparation. These practices and grace keep the light of God on your path.

Do you remember how the foolish bridesmaids asked the wise bridesmaids for some oil? The wise bridesmaids seems a little selfish--after all they didn’t share any oil, did they? That is just like our spiritual lives, we can’t live like Christ on someone else’s disciplines. We can’t ride coattails into the Kingdom of God. God wants a relationship with you and me, not just you and not just me.

Christ is calling the Church—us—to “be prepared.” It’s not enough to know of the invitation to the wedding. Nor is it enough to know what you need to bring, once the wedding starts. As followers of Christ, we are called to be prepared at all times for the chapel doors to be thrown open and the wedding march to begin. Christianity is not a lackadaisical practice, but a calling to discipleship that shapes our lives and hones our relationship with God and neighbor.

The Boy Scout website says this about being prepared: “Be prepared for life—to live happily and without regret, knowing that you have done your best.” Are you prepared in Christ? God offers us the grace to be making us prepared—to grow us in our faith.