Getting Ready Is Not the Same as Worrying

My boys,

There is a difference between preparing for winter and spending autumn afraid of it.

I have confused the two.

So here are a few things I am trying to remember.

1. Preparation asks, "What can I do?"

Worry asks, "What if?"

One usually gives your hands something useful.

The other can keep your mind working long after your hands have done enough.

2. Buy the coat before you are cold.

Then stop checking the weather every ten minutes.

Wisdom prepares.

Fear keeps rehearsing.

3. Save for the difficult month.

Do not live every good month as though the difficult one has already arrived.

A full pantry should create peace, not another reason to count the cans.

4. Lock the door once.

You do not make the house safer by checking it twelve more times.

There comes a point when caution has finished its work.

Recognize that point.

5. Have a plan.

Hold it loosely.

Life has embarrassed enough of my plans that I no longer confuse having one with being in control.

6. Prepare for what is likely.

Trust God with what is unknowable.

You cannot build enough shelves to store certainty.

7. Maintain what carries you.

Your home.

Your car.

Your body.

Your finances.

Your relationships.

Your faith.

Maintenance is cheaper than rescue in more ways than one.

8. Do not call fear responsibility.

I have done this.

"I am just thinking ahead."

Sometimes I was.

Sometimes I was simply worrying with a clipboard.

Learn the difference.

9. Rest after the work is done.

This one is difficult for me.

A responsible man can always find one more thing to prepare.

One more email.

One more repair.

One more possibility.

At some point, responsibility becomes the courage to sit down.

10. Remember who is God.

Not you.

This may be the most practical item on the list.

You are responsible for effort.

Stewardship.

Preparation.

Your word.

The things placed in your care.

You are not responsible for controlling every outcome.

That job was never offered to you.

The wood can be stacked.

The pipes checked.

The pantry filled.

The money saved.

The people you love told that you love them.

Then night comes.

Go inside.

Winter will arrive when it arrives.

You do not need to suffer it in advance.

I love you.

— Baba

Question:

Have you actually failed to prepare, or have you prepared enough and simply refused to stop worrying?

Moral:

Preparation cares for tomorrow without abandoning today. Do what is yours to do, then trust God with what was never yours to control.

This story reflects real experiences and philosophies behind Backyard Brew. It is shared to inspire perspective and intention.

Author: R. Solace