Under this introduction, we shall consider what the Scriptures say about preparation in life. We shall also consider one or two wise quotes on the topic. One key verse in this regard is Proverbs 16:1a, which is rendered from different versions of the Bible, to enable us to have enough insight into:
- “The preparations of the heart belong to man” – NKJV (New King James Version)
- “To man belongs the plans of the heart” – NIV (New International Version)
- “We can make our own plans” – NLT (New Living Translation)
- “People make plans in their minds” – NCV (New Century Version)
- “The plan of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man” – TAB (The Amplified Bible)
- “The preparations of the heart in man,” – KJV (King James Version)
- “The designs of the heart are man’s,” – BBE (Bible in Basic English)
- “The plans of the heart belong to man,” – WEB (World English Bible)
Listen to the following quotes on the essence of making preparations:
- “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Abraham Lincoln
- “Opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared.” Idowu Koyenikan
- “I believe luck is preparation meeting opportunity. If you hadn’t been prepared when the opportunity came along, you wouldn’t have been lucky.” Oprah Winfrey
Finally, let us bring to mind two very popular and equally meaningful maxims:
- Preparation is the mother of manifestation
- He that fails to prepare, prepares to fail
This introduction will not be complete without some more details on these two maxims.
Preparation is the mother of manifestation
I read the story of how a hunter normally sets a trap for an eagle. The hunter will prepare a big enough basket. Then he will get a fowl which he will use as bait to set a trap for the eagle. The hunter will then mount the basket and fowl strategically, awaiting the flight of the eagle.
When the decision hour comes, the eagle will, while in its flight, sight the fowl and be attracted to his food. Meanwhile, the fowl which the basket is ominously mounted over is firmly leashed to make it impossible for the eagle to fly away with. Once the eagle takes the dive to pick his prey, he will, of course, succeed in picking the fowl with his claw, but will not be able to fly up, since the fowl is tied.
Then the giant basket will swoop over the eagle. In that manner, the eagle will be trapped. Then the hunter will come and make a prey of the predator.
Considering this hunter’s eagle-capturing technique, it is clear that the process requires a lot of preparations. And the hunter painstakingly makes such preparations, which is the reason why he is able to manifest his hunting prowess against the giant bird, which is the toughest among the fowls of the air.
He that fails to prepare, prepares to fail
We can look at the illustration of a student whose examinations lie just ahead and is incessantly implored by his parents to make preparations for his examinations. He has a lot of notes to study; he also has a host of other notes which he has missed but which he has to go and arrange how to copy from his co-students.
After engaging his parents in a cycle of hide-and-seek games, the examinations are held. On the release of results, the student has a litany of failures on his scorecard. It is a simple thing: he failed to prepare for his examination; by that failure to prepare, he automatically prepared to fail.
This underscores the relevance of this maxim to the issue of retirement.
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