Preparation and planning are important for any trip or endeavor in life. Jesus gives us a stark reminder that we need to make sure we are ready to be his disciples.
When I moved to Florida for work, one of my first conventions was in Atlanta, Georgia. It was January and the first time I visited that state. The day before I left for the airport, I threw together some clothes for the 3-day trip and packed my carry-on work bag loaded with all my electronic gadgets. When I arrived at the airport, I went through the security checkpoint. As I was collecting my bag off the conveyor belt, a TSA officer approached me. He told me he needed to look through my bag. No problem I thought. However, in my haste of packing all my gadgets for the trip, I forgot to remove my Leatherman utility knife from my work bag…whoops! I was escorted out of line and was told I needed to exit the airport and get rid of the knife. I had to go back to the parking structure and stow the knife in my car then run back to security to go back through the lengthy line. I barely made it on the flight.
Once I made to Atlanta, I collected my bags and had to walk outside to find a cab. It was 40 degrees outside, and I was in a short sleeve polo and shorts having left Fort Lauderdale. The cab driver looked at me and asked where I was from. When I mentioned I was coming from Florida, he looked at me with a smile. He said, you don’t think it gets cold up here in Atlanta? I must admit that my planning for the trip was in haste and did not include looking up the local weather.
This experience reminds me of what Jesus was warning us about to be his disciple. I found out that trying to gather my gadgets and not being mindful of other things in the bag cost me time to make my flight. I almost missed it. I was not prepared for the weather when I initially left the airport.
Jesus does not want us to be in danger of missing out when our time comes. When he returns, will he find we are ready? Did we make a plan towards discipleship or where we too busy with possessions and are distracted from discovering those things in our “bag of life” that may cause us to stumble? Let us take time to reflect on examples in our lives where we were distracted away from Jesus, so we make sure we are on the path to be his disciple.
