Are You Ready?

It has been a week since reality set in for me, and what a week it has been. As I consider everything that has happened, I feel like the Lord is saying, “Are you paying attention? Are you ready for what is coming?” And so that is the question. Are we paying attention? Are we ready for what is coming? Is there oil in our spiritual lamps? Because unlike all those who are gathering an emergency supply of food and goods now, after things have started to go crazy, we can’t wait until the last possible moment to prepare ourselves spiritually. As I consider all that has happened, a quote comes to mind.

“Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.” (Richard G. Scott)

With that in mind, I can honestly say that yes, we have had a multitude of challenges rain down on us in the past week. There has been a good amount of emotional and mental discomfort. It has not been pleasant. We can let it weigh us down. We can let discouragement flourish. We can focus on fear and anxiety for the future. Or we can see this as an opportunity to grow. We can patiently wait on the Lord to guide us. We can reach out with love and compassion to those around us, even if that is digitally rather than face to face. We can accept the challenges and meet them with faith and courage.

In my opinion, the Lord is giving us opportunities to prepare ourselves and our families for the things that are yet to come. As we’ve studied the Book of Mormon this year, one of the questions I’ve repeatedly asked myself is, “Why is this in here?” I know the Book of Mormon was written for those of us living here in the last days and so I’ve been trying to make connections between what I read and my life. Today my thoughts have landed on the fact that there are many revelations concerning the last days and it doesn’t take much effort to look at the world around us and see those prophecies beginning to come to pass. For me, one of the reasons I think these things were written down and given to us in the last days is so we can see the signs and prepare ourselves for what is to come. Many prophets have said it many times, but the time to prepare is now.

I’m taking an honest look at myself right now and asking if I’m ready. And by ready, I don’t mean perfect. I mean continually progressing along the path towards perfection. Because that forward progress, however slow it may seem, is what the Lord asks of us. I fully expect more challenges and more trials in the future. I fully expect to have days when I feel like I can’t take any more. I fully expect to have some moments of fear and anxiety. But I know that if I face each day with faith, the Lord will strengthen and lift me throughout all that is to come. He has promised that he will not leave us alone. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Now is the time to ask yourself and to answer with complete honesty, “Am I ready?”