Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.…keep your head in all situations…

2 Timothy 4:2 & 5a

I am learning all sorts of lessons by living in a huge metropolis in South Texas. Of course, most of these lessons come by trial and error. One such experience happened while driving back in from out of town.

I had a pretty uneventful trip up to that point on the interstate when traffic slowed to bumper to bumper. My average speed went from 75 to 10 miles per hour. What normally took about thirty minutes to travel ended up taking an hour and a half because of road construction.

When I left East Texas, I had totally forgotten to get gas, but I had stopped at Sonic for a tea. My priorities simply had not been in order. It did not take long in the slow trek to realize I could not get off the highway for gas or a restroom break. Traffic did not permit it. I had not planned ahead wisely and had gotten stuck with the consequences.

I finally made it through the delay. I stopped soon afterward to correct my mistakes and to thank God for getting me through the whole situation. I vowed always to have plenty of gas in my car and to drink smaller drinks and maybe even ones without caffeine.

It struck me that I also need to prepare for the unexpected in my Christian life journey.  2 Timothy says to be prepared in season and out of season. I think Timothy knew sometimes we would find ourselves in the middle of situations we had not anticipated. He probably experienced them himself. 

I never know when God may present me with an opportunity to share Him with others. The way I prepare myself to maneuver through is to read my Bible and spend quality time with Him daily. That allows God to prepare me to handle what comes and to keep my head in all situations.

Lord, help me to be prepared for the journey ahead. Help me to point others toward you along the way.

Susan P.