Prepare When Life is Calm
a. Who is my mentor? Who can I call for wisdom and objectively wise counsel when I encounter a crisis next year?
b. What are the character traits I want for my life in crisis? Having expectations of your character in difficulty before you go through challenges allows you to have a measurement to keep you focused when times are tough.
c. What is my key phrase or mantra in crisis? What is an inspirational phrase or word you want to be your lodestar (guide)?
d. What habits do I need to help navigate difficulty? Extra time for rest, quality friends, spiritual leadership, wells of hope and courage to draw from, etc.
e. What is my Achilles heel? If you were going to struggle, where do you see the challenge coming from?
f. Difficulties become compounded. What is your plan to isolate the difficulty so that you don’t cause the difficulty to snowball? We snowball difficulty through mismanaged emotional outbursts, anger, rage, depression, isolation, frustration, blame, giving up, and quitting.
Your preventative work now will help prepare you WHEN difficulty comes your way.
I read this now understanding that God was preparing me for a very difficult road ahead. Covid-19 shut down NBC Camps for a year and hobbled us the next year. My dad died in August just two years after I wrote this. As a result of this research, our team discussed how we wanted to prepare for crisis.
I thank God for the time to consider these questions during a peaceful season of life. He allowed me to stop and prepare for difficulty. Our NBC Central Office team walked through each of these questions together. We asked ourselves how we wanted to respond in crisis and what our motto would be when difficulty struck. I am grateful God provides wisdom to those who seek Him. I could not have weathered those years that followed without God’s divine leading and strength.
WHEN you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and WHEN you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. WHEN you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. – Isaiah 43:2
