Are You Ready For The Unexpected

What could go wrong in your life today that you have no control over and no time to prepare for once it starts?

Maybe a pain that leads to something serious. A car wreck I did not see coming. A phone call about someone I love that changes everything. A market collapse. Or something that feels small at first but alters life quickly, like a slip and fall. The list could go on.

So here is the real question I sit with. Am I ready for something unexpected to happen?

Not perfectly ready. Not spiritually impressive. Just ready in a steady, honest way. How am I preparing, if I am at all, for life to go sideways?

I am not claiming righteousness here, but I have lived one version of this. When leukemia showed up in my life and chemo and monoclonal treatments became necessary, my oncologist said something that stuck with me. He said, “You will do fine. Your baseline health is so high, you will respond well.”

And it did. I was not preparing for cancer. I did not even know it was there. My bone marrow was overrun. But I had been working on my health anyway. I cannot fully explain why. I just had.

Scripture gives a picture of this kind of readiness in the story of Abram and Lot. Abram lets Lot choose the land first. Lot drifts closer to danger and ends up captured during a regional war. When Abram hears about it, Scripture says,

“Abram heard that his relative Lot had been taken captive. So Abram gathered his 318 trained men who were born in his house and went after the enemy” (Genesis 14:14 NCV).

That detail matters to me. Abram did not scramble to assemble men. He did not panic or react late. The men already existed. They were trained. They were ready. Quiet faith had built capacity long before the crisis arrived.

I notice something else in that story. Abram was not looking for a fight. He was not reckless or anxious. He had simply ordered his life in a way that allowed him to respond when something went wrong.

Readiness was a byproduct, not the goal.

This type of preparation was done by God. As He created the world, He knew it was where Satan would live. He knew Adam and Eve would sin. He and Jesus knew that a payment for sin would need to take place through Christ. God prepared to save you and me before it all started.

He could see into the future. And He still sees yours and mine. He is worth trusting today.

I think this perspective is critical for life. Why be wise “now”? Well, I do not live wisely because I think I have life figured out. I live wisely because I do not. And I need structure, habits, and faith in place before things get hard.

- So I try to stay healthy, not obsessively but intentionally.

- I try to stay out of debt so money does not quietly take over.

- I try to build a life I can manage vs one that constantly manages me.

- I work on relationships before they are tested.

- I try to decide to be pure before temptation shows up.

- I try to build faith before it is urgently needed.

- I try to establish rhythms with God before desperation drives me to Him.

- I try to spend time with people now, not waiting for loneliness to force it.

I try to love simply because love matters, knowing there may come a day when I need it more than I realize.

Scripture says, “A wise person sees trouble coming and prepares for it, but a foolish person goes straight ahead and suffers for it” (Proverbs 22:3 NCV).

I read that less as a warning and more as wisdom offered ahead of time.

Quiet faith builds capacity long before it is tested. That feels like a good and Godly way to live.

LORD, give me wisdom for life and a steady heart that trusts you before the unexpected arrives. IJNIP amen ♥️