Pretty much in the middle of 4 chapters full of a whole bunch of red words, there’s a parable that has always caught my attention. Modern translations of the Bible call it the “Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids” but I grew up knowing it as the “Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.”
Besides having a pretty intriguing title (take note, communicators – catchy titles are a great hook!), there’s a very simple point that a lot of the world is learning right now: the middle of a crisis is the worst time to prepare for a crisis. Actually, it’s impossible. All you can do in a crisis is respond to the crisis. The crisis doesn’t prepare you; the crisis reveals whether or not you’re prepared.
[Tweet “The crisis doesn’t prepare you; the crisis reveals whether or not you’re prepared.”]I recognize that all we can really do with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic at this point is hunker down and ride it out. We can shelter in place and practice physical distancing (Stop practicing social distancing! We need each other now more than ever!). We can wash our hands while reciting The Lord’s Prayer. We can do all the things our grandmas taught us to do that will help us avoid the worst of the outbreak. But what can we do now in order to be ready for the next crisis? I’m glad you asked. I can think of at least 3 things.
Make regular deposits so you can afford irregular withdrawals.
This first thought applies to so many different areas, but let’s apply it in two: savings and relationships. If there’s ever been a time to have an emergency fund or a rainy day fund, it’s now. With all the uncertainty in the workplace, who knows when they might show up to a job that they no longer have? No more job, no more paycheck. No more paycheck, no more money to pay for the food and the bills and all the expenses that the virus didn’t stop. But if you had been able to take a portion of your income – even a small portion – and put it away on a regular basis, you’d be able to approach that scenario a little differently.
[Tweet “Make regular deposits so you can afford irregular withdrawals.”]What about in our relationships? If you’re currently in quarantine with relatives with whom you don’t get along, you’re already overdrawn on your grace account. But what if you had made small deposits of grace and patience and kindness every day along the way? You’d have a large amount of those to get you through the next few weeks while those qualities are at a premium.
Do every day what you would do on your last day.
Have you ever been asked what you would do differently if today was your last day to live? Did that question send your mind racing as you tried to think of all the people you’d like to say “I love you” to or “Please forgive me” to? Of course, it did. But wouldn’t it be great if our last day didn’t need to be drastically different than any other day? If we valued the people we loved the most, maintained an intimate connection with our Lord, and lived without bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts? If we did that, then we could live our last day like it was every day. Imagine the peace we’d all be able to live with even if some of those days brought unprecedented realities.
[Tweet “Do every day what you would do on your last day.”]Practice contentment and you’ll be prepared for chaos.
I don’t want to even hint at the return of Jesus as chaos, but if you go back to that parable I mentioned at the beginning, you’ll find that it absolutely was for 5 of those virgins. Why? They simply weren’t prepared because they didn’t have enough oil to keep their lamps lit. People who aren’t content never seem to have enough, do they? In fact, if you asked them how much more they’d need to feel secure, they’d all say the same thing: a little more.
[Tweet “What do most people need in order to feel secure? A little more.”]But when we practice a lifestyle of contentment, we can live in peace about the unknowns simply because we’ve prepared for it. The 5 wise virgins didn’t have some kind of insider knowledge about when the groom was coming, but they did know what they’d need to have in order to be ready and so they never used up all their oil.
[Tweet “Practice contentment and you’ll be prepared for chaos.”]Quite honestly, a lot of people are scrambling to find any kind of hope right now because the crisis we’re facing has revealed that they trusted in all the wrong things. But the good news is that, unlike for the foolish virgins, there’s still time to invest in the one relationship that can hold you through the worst storms.
Money isn’t it. Neither is a pill. You don’t need to unwind with a glass or a shot. What you need is a Who, and Jesus is His name.
Now would be an excellent time for you to meet Him for the first time or to reestablish the most valuable relationship you’ve got.
