Be Ready!

On your mark, get set, ready… go!  As a child I loved the excitement of getting ready for all sorts of things- from the potato sack race to the start line for the relay. To “be ready” can be a time filled with anticipation and excitement or some times fear and dread. In the gospel reading assigned for Sunday August 10, 2025 Luke 12:32-40 the first thing we hear is Jesus’ counsel; “Do not be afraid”. Those are good words for us to hear —often.

Fear can distort our thinking. Fear can push a person into the fight, flight, freeze responses. Fear can be protective when it is warranted. Fear can guide us away from danger. When we have been schooled in pausing when the panic wants to take over, it can be an opportunity to ask for clarity, ask for help, discern a next step. 

This week I've been reflecting on part of verse 39, : if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. After I had already moved away from my childhood home, it was burglarized twice. When my parents came home after the first time that things had been taken, they were relieved that it didn't seem like much was gone. Little did they know that it was just an initial break-in and another one was yet to come. 

All of the silver they had received as wedding gifts and family heirlooms were stolen a few days after the initial break-in along with a lot of other items. My parents didn't replace many of the stolen items. The items had a certain value for sure, but their greater value was in the stories that went along with these items. After the second break-in, my parents felt uncomfortable and uncertain about how to feel safe in their own home. Their sense of safety and security had been stolen. They would end up adopting a large dog and then needing to get a very big fence to keep the dog from running away. The combination of a pretty intense, big dog and a large fence resulted in them never having another break-in. It took longer for their sense of safety to return.

After the second break-in, the police had wondered if someone had been watching their home and knew when they would be gone. That was a tough time for my parents. I once had my wallet stolen when I had locked it in the trunk of the car when we went to the zoo. When we returned to the car, after our day at the zoo, we saw that the passenger side window had been broken leaving glass all over Sophie’s car seat. Someone had gotten into the car and unlatched the trunk. It was a terrible feeling. For years afterwards, I would often feel uncomfortable returning to my car after having left it parked somewhere. 

In the same way that my parents changed some of their patterns and behaviors, so did I. I stopped taking the checkbook out of the house. Having to change our checking account and follow up with all the bills that were automatically paid out of that account was a lot of work. Even though that's more than 20 years ago, I'm still very conscientious about where I keep my wallet. After both of these incidents, my parents and I reflected upon the fact that though things were stolen, no one was hurt. The family heirlooms were not replaceable but the greater loss was their sense of security in their own home. The dog and the fence really helped. As did sharing about their experience with others. 

Be ready!

Fifteen months ago when I got the initial breast cancer diagnosis, I wasn’t necessarily “ready” for it yet so many other events and experiences had in some way prepared me for it. I recently update my Caring Bridge page with my “year two” post and then have added one today about the details for my upcoming double mastectomy.

Last year I knew that I didn’t want a cancer diagnosis to steal my joy, my agency, my sense of purpose. As I wrote on Caring Bridge about the journey I realized that the greatest treasures cannot be things stored up, boxed, bought or sold. I am so grateful to be working with an oncologist who has been helping me sort out what I value when it comes to my health, my time, my resources. I have also been working with a mental health counselor who helps me “listen to my life” and has been encouraging me to “protect my peace”. 

As I have been sharing with people about my upcoming surgery there are many offers for help, which I so appreciate. The relationships I have with others are some of the greatest treasures in my life. To be able to be connected to others- to allow myself to know others and be known by others is priceless.

Part of how that takes place is when I risk to share my fears, my hopes, my needs, my wants, my ups, my downs and all the in-betweens. Jesus starts out telling his friends to not be afraid and then later to be ready. I think he is speaking to them and to us as a community, as a group, as those who can tap into the gift of being in this life together. There is strength in numbers. When we are united in faith in a loving and gracious God together we can cace our fears. There is also the joy in preparedness of the ready, set, go… trusting this God who loves us so much indeed will come again into this world and that is very good news. So let's be ready for the Love that will come again, by sharing the love we have already received- one day, one present moment at a time.