I once took my two oldest children on a camping trip in the Central Asian country where we live and work. We hiked to our destination with a load of supplies, carried on several donkeys borrowed from the villagers. In this rugged part of the world, donkeys are a common mode of travel, hauling people and supplies on sheep trails through the mountainous terrain. If the saddle bags are uneven or crooked they will most likely spill over on the way and cause the donkey to stumble. One of our donkeys had a difficult time making it up the mountain because we didn’t take the time to load the saddle bags correctly. We struggled on our journey because we failed to prepare well. An ancient Persian proverb states, Bori kaj ba manzil nameracad. The translation: An unbalanced load will not reach its destination. The proverb suggests that it is important to begin a journey with good preparation if we want to reach our destination.

Our destination today is to be more like Jesus. That makes me think. Am I prepared to reach my destination? Have I spent time with God in prayer, Bible study and meditation on His Word? I Peter 4:13 states, “…prepare your minds for action...” (NIV). As the scripture suggests, good preparation precedes wise action.

Thought for the day: Good preparation precedes wise action

Prayer: Lord I want my life to reflect the image of your Son, Jesus. Thank you for hearing my prayer and helping me to be prepared for action today.