Get ready... set ...GO!

One night I went to bed and couldn’t get to sleep but eventually drifted off. Around 2am I suddenly was wide awake with my body feeling like it was full of energy. I knew it was the presence of the Lord and even though I didn’t know what to do I got up, got ready and sat on the edge of my bed wondering what was going on. I then heard a whistling on the street outside my flat and recognised the tune as a song we sing in church. As I looked out of my window, there was my big mate beckoning me to come down as he couldn’t sleep too. We then went for a long walk where we met a young policeman on the beat who was on a late night shift and we accompanied him on his walk.

As we walked and talked the young copper asked us our background, not in a police way but in a conversational way. My mate who had a criminal background shared this with the policeman and went on to describe how Jesus had came into his life and changed his direction. The young policeman learned that night there was another way that society could be changed.

When we went in different directions my friend looked at me and said, ‘That’s why we were awake’.

Yesterday in church we learned about ‘making the most of every opportunity’ of being ‘ready’.

At times I lie in bed at night and think about the day that has just past. I see moments that I’ve missed. Opportunities not taken, conversations I should have not entered into, actions I should have not taken or actions I have wrongly taken. I’m not discouraged because as a disciple I’m a learner and to see these things as part of the learning process. I only get discouraged when those same mistakes are repeated. But when I’m engaging in that ‘readiness of mind’ I can lie in bed and see opportunities taken, helpful conversations engaged in and actions taken that are healthy.

So how do you acquire this readiness?

Try spending some time listening to the Holy Spirit and nurturing a prayer throughout the day which sounds something like, ‘Lord, what’s happening here?’

You will then find yourself walking around during the day awake and clothed with readiness and joining with the spontaneous expansion of the Kingdom.