You must be prepared for your opportunity.

Abraham Lincoln said: ‘‘I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” Benjamin Disrael, first ever Jew to govern Britain as premier said: ‘‘The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.” When the fate of the Jews hung in the balance, Mordecai told Esther that her experience in the King’s palace had prepared her, ‘‘For such a time as this,” Esther 4:14. She responded and saved the Jews. All great people of talent prepared themselves for their opportunities.

Your greatest challenge, therefore, isn’t lack of opportunity, but your being ready when it comes.

ADVERTISING

It is not enough to be prepared, you must stay prepared. It has been said that knowledge is doubling every five years. So if you don’t keep learning, you don’t keep growing, you will end up keeping skills that no longer match the challenge you face in the world today. It is estimated some doctors are so busy tending patients, they are years behind the latest developments in their field. If you or your loved ones get ill, that could become a real concern for you.

Preparation does not begin with what you do, it begins with what you believe. If you believe that success tomorrow depends on what you do today, you will treat today differently. A wise sailor studies the weather before going to sea because he knows that avoiding a storm is easier than getting out of one. The leader of today will be rated by his ability to anticipate problems than to meet them as they come. Preparation isn’t a mere event, it is a perspective. Abraham Lincoln said, ‘‘If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I would spend six hours sharpening my axe.” That was because as a young man Lincoln split rails with an axe to make a living so he knew the value of staying sharp. Wisdom taught him to prepare in advance, either to cut wood, study law or lead the nation. Which is why scripture says, ‘‘Hold on to instruction, do not let it go. Guard it well, for it is your life.

By instruction here is meant the Bible, the Quran, the Vedas, the Talmud, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, all of which contain the wisdom of God. One important question is: what am I supposed to prepare for? If you don’t have a goal already, ask God for one. ‘‘In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths,” Proverbs 3:6. The humbling truth is that all achievements will be surpassed, records will be broken, reputations will fade and tributes will be forgotten. Living to create an earthly legacy is short sighted for Jehovah put you here to do His will. If you are wise you will keep that in mind.