Are You Ready?

July 12, 2023

I haven’t used a recent photo in a really long time, but I took this one over the weekend.

We regularly have deer in our backyard, but only on a few occasions have I seen a doe with her fawns. This young one danced around with a brother or sister while mom watched from a short distance. Took me a minute to grab my camera, so by the time I got back to the door, the others had stepped into the woods.

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I was kind of ready for taking the photo, but not really ready.

My question for today is, “Are you ready?”

Not too long ago, a ministry I’m involved in at our church reminded us that we should always be ready to share our faith with someone. As I gave this some thought, I realized my readiness was a lot like sitting at my desk when the deer family walked into view.

I don’t consider myself an accomplished photographer, not professional by any means. I know the basics of photography. I have lots of books, a pretty nice camera, and I’ve spent a good many hours practicing. But when I looked out the French doors this past weekend, I wasn’t totally ready to take a photo.

And if you’ve ever tried to scramble to take a photo of a deer who was really close, you know they can sense movement very well. I’ve had many occasions where I’ve tried to slink by windows to grab my camera only for the deer to see me move and bound into the woods.

So I very slowly ambled over to my camera bag. I got the camera out, checked to make sure I had a memory card in it and that my settings were correct. By the time I got back to the windows, the frolicking scene was all but gone.

Here’s what the Bible says about being ready to share our faith.

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV)

I’ve been a Christian for over fifty years. I’ve taken classes on evangelism and have participated in door-to-door evangelism with my church. But I knew at this point in my life that I wasn’t really ready for the split-second moment when the time is just right to share the good news someone might need to hear.

So, I’ve spent some time refreshing myself in just that and now I feel much more prepared.

Are you ready?

If not, I encourage you to search on-line for many ways to share your faith. Find one that fits your personality and get ready. You never know when just the right opportunity will present itself and we want to be ready to share our faith and relationship with God.