Weekly Words

Ready or Not

Most people would agree that they are not living up to their spiritual or life potential. And if asked, “why not”, the most common response would be because “I am not ready.” Whether it is investing in our spirituality, getting another degree, starting a business, committing to a relationship, or moving from a career to a call, it is hard to ever feel ready to move to the next level in life. “I am not ready to make the sacrifices.” “I am not ready to make changes in my lifestyle.” “I am not ready to give up this or that.” The truth of the matter is we are usually not ready to meet the demands of our destiny.

Our history is filled with people who were thrust into places and positions before they felt they were ready. Martin Luther King Jr. went to Montgomery, Alabama to pastor a modest sized Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, when all of a sudden he was thrust into the leadership of the National Civil Rights Movement. King often communicated that at times he felt overwhelmed by the task and not particularly ready for that amount of responsibility. Gardner Taylor, who Ebony deemed at one point the greatest black preacher in America,always testified that as a Pastor of a church in Louisiana he did not feel ready to make such a monumental move before he assumed the Pastorate at the historic Concord Baptist Church in New York, New York.

Taylor says something very insightful about readiness. He profoundly exhorts that when God calls us to the next level of our destiny we are almost never ready. Yet he suggests that if we just trust God and move into our call, God makes us ready in the process. I want to encourage someone on today to make a move for the better that up until this point you have convinced yourself that you are not ready to make, but in the depths of your heart you know it is a move that you need to make. It may be a general move like loving harder, giving more, praying more, reading more, studying more intensely, living more healthy, or increasing your commitment to a spiritual life. It may also be something specific like joining a church, changing careers, letting a relationship go, forming a new relationship, or becoming an entrepreneur. Even if you feel you are not quite developed for your destiny, I want you to trust in a God who can develop you in your destiny. So, ready or not, make your move.

Humbly in Christ’s Love,
Pastor B.A. Jackson