Be ready in season and out of season. —2 Timothy 4:2

Feelings are not reliable when it comes to readiness. If we wait until we WANT to get ready, the feelings may never come. If we wait until we FEEL ready, we may never accomplish a thing. One of the marquee items for any leader is their ability and willingness to continue on regardless of how they feel. Our feelings are not always an accurate measure of our relationship with God or others for that matter. If it’s one thing leaders do and do well, it’s that they have learned to not rely on their feelings and at the same time remain reliable regardless of their feelings. Faith is what every leader must posses and it will always be required of us in our preparation and readiness training from God.

Do not become a leader who obsessively seeks for a new inspirational moment. Be the one through which those moments may come! We must be acutely aware of how easily we make our feelings gods and worship at their shrines. God gives us moments of elation to encourage us along the way and we must use it for that; to prod us onward. Our readiness is stunted when we stop at the end of the moment and refuse to move without another “word” or “answer” or “feeling” from God. Readiness doesn’t demand anything from God but yields everything to Him and especially our feelings.

Do you think the disciples felt ready for Christ to die? Do you think they felt ready for Him to ascend to Heaven so quickly after His return from the tomb? Do you think they felt ready to move into the world? I doubt they felt ready but the Lord saw things differently. Rest assured that even if you don’t feel prepared or ready for His calling, His mission, His task, or His service, that is not the issue. If He is sending you out, then you will be ready when the time is ready.

Final thought: Preparation never ends. Training is year ’round. Don’t let your feelings punctuate your life.