I’m sure that you have noticed by now I openly admit a lot of my idiosyncrasies and every now and then I might point out observations regarding crazy things I have seen others do. I spare no shame when it comes to some of my silliness as well as someone else’s. Of course it is much easier talking about the someone else’s. Is that wrong? Just kidding. I like to check every now and then and make sure my readers are paying attention.
With that “license to tell” point of view, I’d like to share a few things that I have noticed for many many years that never made any sense to me. I can’t tell you how many times when I have worked in an office that people will call and they will say on the other end of the phone line, “Hi. Could you give me the telephone number for the claims office?” and then I reply “Sure. The phone number is . . “Sharply and abruptly I am interrupted by the caller on the inquiring side. “Wait! No stop! I don’t have a pen and paper handy. Let me get something to write the number down.”
Okay . . . . If you knew you were going to request something from someone, a bit of information if you will, . . a morsel of knowledge . . . a bite of data that is needed for yourself. . . .wouldn’t you naturally be prepared to record such data or information that you had asked for? Why wouldn’t you have the pen and paper handy before you asked the all important question? Why wouldn’t you be prepared to record it the moment it was given instead of teasing as if to say “No I don’t really need the phone number I’m only calling to make sure YOU know the phone number.” Maybe I’m seeing this completely wrong. Maybe when people call for information and they are not prepared to write it down because they were automatically stricken with a case of no-more-photographic memory and now they will need to act like normal beings and keep notes of things unfamiliar so not to forget them.
Here is another example still a phone call scenario however: I answer the phone, “Good morning, this is Wendydawn. How may I help you?” And then I hear someone at the other end of the line frantic – speaking quite loudly back into the phone, “Hold on hold on their Miss! You need to wait until I put my hearing aid in!” Almost as if it was my fault. As if I was being discriminatory in some way when I answered the phone by speaking immediately upon answering because somehow I was to know that there 
was some preparation still needed on the other end of the line. Okay, again. If you were making a phone call which usually necessitates a reasonable level of hearing wouldn’t you automatically be prepared with hearing aid in to allow for an easier go?
A couple of days ago I went in for an eye appointment. The eye doctor had just told me that for reading I should keep my occasional glasses on. He told me that I would need to wear my glasses a lot more often now instead of only when I am at the computer. Knowing that, the optical employee said to me as an introduction for preparation these magical little key words, “I’m going to need you to READ over this information and make sure it’s correct before you sign at the bottom.” Guess what I said? “Wait! Hold on. . . I’ll need my glasses first!” Bam! God manages to give me that slap of humility to remind me I do silly stuff just like everyone else. My preparation routine needed a large amount of exercise.
I began to think lately of how often I have known of a life obstacle headed it’s way for me within the next week, day or even hour. Where I have known ahead of time that I needed to be prepared to either make a decision, go to spiritual battle, or conquer some abyss of ignorance that needs discovery and light. Before I make that step into controversy, education of spiritual turmoil, why have I not been preparing like I know I should? I’m not talking about putting on my glasses, or putting in a hearing aid, or even getting a pen that works in my hand. I am speaking literally of getting God’s being-prepared-manual in hand. Why haven’t I been going to the Word of God before the need for his guidance is calling me up? Geesh . . .you’d think if I am a Christian writer I would be a bit better at being a Christian. See I told you; I’m here to shock and amaze instead of faking perfection. I can only try.
I fail all the time at doing some of the very things that I have written about. I backslide. I forget. I don’t have my scriptures handy when I need them the most. But I do know that I can get back on track with God’s loving and merciful push. He has seen me do the right thing and the wrong thing especially on being prepared for any or all situations; yet, he loves me anyway.-no matter what.
It’s wonderful in being a Christian and knowing that he is there for us rain or shine. Whether we are prepared or not. That’s another great thing about God’s love. Even at times we are learning and feeling like a misfit in the Christ-like behavior congregation of this world, he takes those times and twists it in ways to teach us lovingly and gives us hope of using the experience as preparation for times ahead. God hands us a pen and paper, a hearing aid, and our reading glasses before we need them if we just let him.
I’d like to think now instead of being so critical of unprepared callers I have found humor and delight in the silliness of myself and others again. You gotta lighten up in life right? Get back up again when you fall. Grab that Bible and challenge yourself to read a scripture that you thought you understood and allow God to show you something you haven’t gotten out of it before. He can do that. I promise you. Just do me a favor though. Be prepared to write it down right then. You may not have the opportunity to prepared again.
