Reflections on the Prepare:Do Ratio

Today I reflect on the length of time it takes to get ready for something! I remember this well from my days in the classroom--the ratio of preparing for something compared to the "doing" of something. For example, popping batches of popcorn, measuring it out into individual baggies, sorting by class and packing it in the car compared to the 10 minutes or less it took the students to devour it or searching for great deals on 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade leveled readers, ordering, shipping to Lee's Summit, having the ALBC team pack the books in their suitcases, flying them to El Salvador, unloading, sorting and selecting appropriate books by grade level and gender and getting them to the classroom yesterday compared to the 5 minutes needed to distribute them to the classes! (Of course, the students' smiles are their own reward.)

Whatever the ratio (10:1 or 200:1 or more), this principal doesn't just apply to lesson planning, but to all aspects of our life. Fixing dinner means buying groceries, planning the menu, chopping, frying, boiling, etc. compared to the 10 minutes needed to eat it (repeat a couple of times per day) and doing laundry means picking up and sorting dirty clothes, pretreating, washing, drying, folding, etc. compared to the time it takes for you and/or your family to get the clothes dirty (repeat multiple times per week.)

This is not to say that preparing isn't important--it's vitally important to the success of the "doing." In fact, if we are going to be successful, we must prepare and be prepared. God expects us to put on His "whole armour" so we are prepared for the battle; He wants us to mediate on His word so we are prepared for the day; He asks us to be prepared "in season and out" to share His love/words with others. Preparing is essential, but it can't stop there--who wants 40 bags of popcorn that don't get eaten or 200 books that never get read. It's no different in our Christian life. If we're well-equipped soldiers who are "prayed up," we need to be in the fight not sitting in the barracks. Is it scary to move from the preparation to the doing--sometimes it is. What if we didn't remember to do everything? What if every single detail isn't perfect? What if something changes when we get ready to start? What if someone doesn't follow through?

Questions like these keep us at the starting line afraid to "do," but it's our job to prepare to the best of our ability and then trust in God. The most amazing thing is that once we exercise our faith, God is in charge of the "doing" and we don't have to worry about Prepare:Do Ratio because He "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." Be ready, get set and then "Go," God will take care of the rest.