Dillon Schupp
Ever had something happen, and afterward you think “I should have seen that coming”?
It reminds me of when Grace and I first had Lucy (one of our dogs) when she was a puppy. Full disclosure, I’d never raised a puppy before. So I was completely unprepared for potty training. I assumed “Put dog in crate at night. Let them out in the morning. They’ll be fine.”
In case you’re thinking about getting a puppy, you should know that’s a horrible line of thinking. Now, the puppy probably will be fine- but once you go consecutive mornings walking into poop explosions in their crate, you may not be!
After several consecutive days of extreme mess-making during the middle of the night, I realized we (and by we, I mean “I”) needed to do things VERY differently. And as I look back on that experience, it makes me wonder “How did I not see that coming?”
There are some things that we should see coming- and if we don’t prepare, that’s on us. On the other hand, there are some things we just can’t see coming- and we never will. Which brings me to the current situation.

Prepare for the Worst? Nope.

No one could have predicted everything that’s taken place with COVID-19. And if you say “I did!”, then I don’t know how to say this another way, but you may be related to Pinocchio. No one could have seen the extreme fallout from COVID-19 coming. And I’m not talking about those who hoarded toilet paper when news started to trickle out. I’m talking 6 months ago or a year ago. No one saw this scenario playing out.

I wonder, though, if- now that this scenario has happened- it will result in people trying to prepare for the “next time” something like COVID-19 occurs. It’s entirely possible that “Prepare for the worst,” will become a talking point for more than just doomsday hoarders, but for every day people.

But… should we perhaps pause and ask if “preparing for the worst” is the best use of our time, energy, and resources? “Prepare for the worst” sounds like wisdom…but is it, really?

I’m not so sure it is. For two reasons.

#1- Practically speaking…it can always “be worse.” 

What actually defines “worst case scenario”? Think about it for a second. Sure, the current situation is extremely challenging…but at least we’re not involved in a world war at the same time. Obviously, that’s a bit of an extreme to think about, but it makes the point. Generally speaking, as long as you’re alive…it could be “worse.”

Does that mean we should prepare for the worst of the worst of the worst?

We’d never stop preparing…and we’d likely waste a whole lot of time, energy, and resources preparing for something that in all likelihood would never happen.

I’m not saying the worst of the worst of the worst couldn’t happen…and I’m certainly not advocating for being unprepared. All I’m saying is that, on a practical level, “prepare for the worst” isn’t a realistic goal.

It also ignores a pretty important reality for followers of Jesus. Because…

#2- Even our best preparation doesn’t guarantee us protection.

One of the verses that sticks in my head in regard to leading a church is Psalm 127:1-2, which says this:

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

Put another way: You can make the best plans, you can have the best products, you can (theoretically) think through every single possibility and eventuality and even the worst of the worst case scenario and be fully prepared for that very thing…and you can still be wrecked by it…unless the Lord gets you through.

Now- no where does the psalmist say the builders shouldn’t labor. No where does the psalmist say the guards shouldn’t stand watch. What he does say, though, is that unless God is behind their efforts, their efforts are a waste of time.
So should we prepare for the worst? I don’t think so…simply because it’s just not a realistic goal.

Does that mean I shouldn’t prepare?

Sadly, some well-meaning Christians will take that line of thinking and use it to justify a kind of blind faith that lives in the moment and for the moment with no consideration at all for the future.
Put simply, that’s not faith. That’s foolish.

We can’t “prepare for the worst”- and we shouldn’t try.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare. We should. Check out what Proverbs 21:31 says:
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.
Yes- victory rests with the Lord. And yes, there will be times the Lord rescues us from situations we were completely unprepared for- simply because you can’t prepare for everything, and many times the thing that nearly overwhelms you and I is the thing we NEVER saw coming.
However: it’s also true that God expects us to use wisdom and get our “horse” so to speak, ready for the day of battle. Just because we can’t “prepare for the worst” doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare. God did give us this grayish organ floating between our ears…and while He calls us to a life of faith, He also calls us to use wisdom- and He never permits us to use our “faith” to excuse foolishness.
It’s not that we shouldn’t prepare. It’s rather a question of what faith-fueled and wisdom-driven planning looks like; planning that takes into account both the wisest course of action while at the same time recognizing that, at the end of the day, there will be some things that happen that only God can get me through.
So what does that type of preparation look like? I believe there are four questions we can ask to guide us in that…

#1- What can I actually DO or START DOING?

Say, for instance, that you’re born with high cholesterol. You’re genetically predisposed to heart disease and strokes.

You can’t change your genetics- but you can, for example, choose to give your body the best shot possible by eating healthy and exercising and forsaking the Krispy Kreme doughnuts and KFC. It would be foolish to say “Well, God knows when I’m going to die and nothing will change that, so I’m going to eat what I want.”

That’s incredibly unwise thinking.

Is it true that God knows when you’ll die? Yes. But that doesn’t excuse poorly stewarding the body he’s given you to start with.

Obviously, that’s just one example, but it makes a broader point: part of wise preparation is recognizing that there are steps we can take or begin taking…and taking those steps accordingly.

#2- Is there anyone I’m responsible for? 

Wise preparation takes into account the fact that, generally speaking, other people are affected by what happens to me.

Let’s just take the issue of diet from above for the sake of simplicity (and I’m not hating on you if you’re diet isn’t great. It’s just an easy example. But…perhaps a salad at lunch?). There is a sense in which what you eat is your business…except when you take into account that you have a spouse…or kids…or employees…or co-workers…all of whom will be dramatically affected if something happens to you.

Obviously you can’t stop everything from happening to you. And you’re not responsible for every person in your life (that would be a crushing guilt trip no one could bear). But there are likely a few people you need to deeply consider in the process of your preparation.

For instance: It’s one thing, as a young, healthy, single person, to skip out on health insurance. But if you’re married…and you have children…then you have to ask “What if something medically did happen- and it’s possible (even if it’s unlikely depending on your stage of life)? What would the financial results of not having insurance be on my spouse and kids?”

I’m not necessarily advocating for health insurance or an equivalent. You could make a similar point with life insurance, home insurance, etc.

It’s one thing when you’re on your own. But most of us are not. Which means we need to take into account- given what we CAN do or start doing- who we are responsible for in our lives and how to reasonably protect them if something happens.

#3- Is there anything I’m doing that undercuts my preparation?

I’ll pick on myself for just a second.

Back in the day, when I’d go to Golden Corral or CiCi’s pretty regularly, I used to always start off with a salad.

Great start! But when you throw a ton of greasy, fatty, sugary food on top of the salad…doesn’t the salad kind of not even matter at that point?

Nope. Which is why now, when I go, I don’t even bother with the salad. That’s just taking up space I could fill with something I actually enjoy! Starting off with a salad there is great…but the rest of the meal undercuts the healthy benefits from the salad.

In the same way…as we take into account what we can do or start doing, and we take into account protecting those we are responsible for and who would be injured by our lack of preparation…is there anything we are doing that undercuts our efforts to prepare? Is there anything in your life that cancels out the preparation you are doing by increasing the likelihood of the thing you’re trying to avoid and prepare/ protect against?

Say you’ve got life insurance to protect those you love if something happens. That’s awesome. But if you’re also tracking wild bears and wrestling with them, that seems to send a conflicting message: I want to protect you if I die…so I’m going and doing something that could lead to my death? It doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Or, say you’re taking steps to get out of debt…and you purchase a brand new car with a payment plan. The new car works against getting out of debt.

Could it be that the reason we often feel so unprepared is not because we haven’t taken steps to prepare, but because we’re also doing things that undercut our ability to prepare?

#4- What’s my motive in how I approach preparing?

This matters a lot. And honestly, this is probably what is going to determine how we navigate the first three things- not to mention how we live our lives.

If the motive is fear, you’re probably over-preparing. How can you tell? You never feel like it’s enough. You never feel secure. You could have millions in the bank and still be on edge that you’re on the verge of going bankrupt overnight. You think too much about the future and “what if”…and you probably rarely, if ever, truly have any fun.

If the motive is “fun”, you’re probably under-preparing. How can you tell? You have FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out. You live for the moment. You never turn down an opportunity because “this might be the only chance I ever get.” You don’t think much about the future, because, for you, all that matters is the “now.” As a result, you’re woefully unprepared for when something happens to you.

If the motive is pride, you’ll either over-prepare and look down on those less prepared, thinking your preparation has made you invincible…or you’ll under-prepare and condemn those who seem more prepared, convinced they are “living in fear” and that you’re way of living is much better.

If we don’t check our motives, our motives will mislead us…right into major mistakes.

The proper motive is not fear…nor is it fun…nor is it pride. The proper motive is humility that understands I can’t prepare for everything- but I can and should be a wise steward of what God has given me, and I especially should look out for those I’m responsible for to the extent I’m able to.

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Preparing for the worst is a losing battle. We’ll never actually be able to prepare for the worst- because it could always be worse as long as we’re living. But we can and should prepare wisely. We shouldn’t live in fear of the future- but neither should we live foolishly in the moment without considering the future.

What this looks like is probably going to be different for every person. It’s a matter of what God has given you to steward- and whether you are responding with wisdom and humility while recognizing that ultimately, no matter how well we prepare, God is the only one who can lead us through the challenges we’ll have to navigate in our lives.

And while we can’t prepare for everything…I’d far rather see God take care of us through our preparation that in spite of our lack of it.