The Difference Between Worrying and Preparedness

Today I learned first hand the difference between worrying and being prepared. I failed at being prepared which lead me to succeed at worrying, but this was not the combination I wanted. I am usually a very punctual and organized person; therefore, I am usually prepared and have what is needed. Last night, I forgot to call a new homeowner to make sure she would be there for my team to paint her house. I realized my mistake this morning when I had the team following me to the house 20 minutes away and she wasn't answering her phone. That is when the worrying set in. I had people relying on me and I was going to let them down. After getting the confirmation that she wasn't at her house I shamefully had to tell my team we must turn around and scrambled to find a job that we could do instead. With a lot of other teams and a thunderstorm rolling in the pickings were slim. But God prevailed and helped me by finding a great job for us to work at. My worrying started to diminish as God revealed a new plan for our day. But then, I took my team on another detour to SW instead of SE and got stuck waiting for a train after I corrected my mistake. As I watched the train roll by, I worried about the team's perception of my competence. I had taken them half way to a house that no one was at. They had to wait as I found us a backup plan. Then, I took them to the wrong side of the river. But after worrying about all these things the day turned out great. My teams were completely understanding and served with joyful hearts. The homeowners were appreciative and provided the team with a free lunch to show their thanks. In the end, I learned to be prepared but not to worry if the plan you spent all your time preparing no longer works out. God will prevail and jobs will be found to satisfy the volunteer's serving hearts. Whenever I am worrying I think of Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." and try to refocus and allow God's will to be done.

This also lead me to compare the difference between worry about disasters happening and being prepared. Disaster preparedness is very important. Having a plan to make sure people are helped as effectively and efficiently as possible is very important, but worrying about what could happen gets us no where. Be prepared, but above all allow God to provide and stop worrying about tomorrow.