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READY FOR THE GAME WARDEN
In the little book, LAUGHTER IN APPALACHIA, Fred Park of Berea, Kentucky tells a story about a man named Quill. Quill lived way back in the woods where he hunted and fished all the time. Quill didn't pay any attention to the hunting seasons or laws or anything, and he knew the woods better than the game warden.
The game warden had been trying to catch Quill for a long time. Today was the day. He knew Quill would be up early to go fishing. So the game warden sneaked down there in the middle of the night and hid on top of Quill's house. This way he knew he had the jump on Quill. He'd let him head out and then he'd follow him. His plan was to hide in the woods until Quill had caught a large, illegal bunch of fish, and he'd catch him.
As it started to get a little bit of daylight, the game warden could hear Quill get up, start a fire, and put the coffee on. His stomach started growling at the smell of that coffee and those fresh-smelling biscuits as they baked in the oven. He could hardly contain himself. Suddenly out walked Quill on the porch and hollered, "Come on down here and get some of this coffee and biscuits while they're hot! I know you're out there!" He went back in and shut the door.
The game warden could not believe it. He climbed down and walked up on the porch and into the house and exclaimed, "Well, how did you know I was out there?"
Quill said, "I didn't. I walk out there and say that ever morning, just in case ye are!" (1)
Quill may not have been a genius, but he knew enough to take precautions. He was ready!
Quill would probably have appreciated Jesus' story about the wise and foolish virgins who went out to join a wedding party to await the arrival of the bridegroom. Some brought extra oil for their lamps. Some did not. When the bride groom was delayed and the oil gave out. Those who did not bring an extra supply tried to buy some from those who did. No deal. They were forced to return home to get more oil. While they were gone, the bridegroom came and the wedding party went into the banquet hall. When the foolish girls returned, the doors were closed and they could not get in. Then Jesus said, "Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day or the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."
THE ADMONITION IS LOUD AND CLEAR: BE PREPARED! THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WINNING AND LOSING IN LIFE IS OFTEN PREPARATION.
Every successful person knows that is true. To the one willing to prepare goes the victory.
Liu Chi Kung, who placed second to Van Cliburn in the 1958 Tchaikovsky competition, was imprisoned a year later during the Cultural Revolution in China.
During the entire seven years he was held, he was denied the use of a piano. Soon after his release, however, he was back on tour. Critics wrote in astonishment that his musician-ship was better than ever.
"How did you do this?" a critic asked. "You had no chance to practice for seven years."
"I did practice," Liu replied, "every day. I rehearsed every piece I had ever played, note by note, in my mind." (2) Liu knew that he must stay ready. He would not always be in prison. He wanted to be prepared in case there ever was another performance.
In 1976, Indiana University's basketball team was undefeated throughout the regular season and captured the NCAA National Championship. Controversial and colorful coach Bobby Knight led them to that championship. Shortly afterwards, Coach Knight was interviewed on the television show "60 Minutes." The commentator asked him, "Why is it, Bobby, that your basketball teams at Indiana are always so successful? Is it the will to succeed?"
"The will to succeed is important," replied Bobby Knight, "but I'll tell you what's more important--it's the will to prepare. It's the will to go out there every day training and building those muscles and sharpening those skills!" (3) No wonder Bobby Knight has been so successful as a coach.
Another famous coach believed the same thing. "Hurry Up" Yost was the football coach at the University of Michigan. A player once assured Coach Yost that their team was sure to win on Saturday because the players had "the will to win." "Hurry Up" Yost answered: "Don't fool yourself. The will to win is not worth a plugged nickel unless you have the will to prepare." That is true. Whether we are talking about sports, or education or science or business or any worthwhile endeavor in life, success goes to the person who has the will to prepare!
INDEED, OUR ATTITUDE ABOUT PREPARATION REVEALS A LOT ABOUT OUR CHARACTER.
Charlie Brown of the Peanuts comic strip once said that his life was mixed up because he missed all of the rehearsals. Maybe Charlie Brown is on to something.
Of course some people confuse constant rehearsal with the real thing. Henry Nelson Wieman once told of his roommate in college. He had to have everything in readiness. He procured a large, comfortable chair. He got study slippers and a lounging jacket. He fastened a bookrest to the arm of the chair to hold the book at the right angle before his eyes. He installed a special lamp and eyeshade, pencils, paper and revolving bookcase. He would come into the room after the evening meal, take off his coat and put on the jacket, take off his shoes and slip into the slippers, adjust the study lamp, put his book on the bookrest, recline in the comfortable chair with his eyeshade over his eyes, and when everything was perfectly adjusted, he would go to sleep. (4) Preparation didn't do him a lot of good. Usually, though, our attitude about preparation reveals the kind of person we are.
Jon Johnston in his book, WALLS OR BRIDGES, tells about a recent major league allstar game. One player, says Johnston, proved to be completely unreliable. "Here was a fellow who had been selected by the fans. A coveted honor. Yet, he somehow couldn't bring himself to get ready for the big game.
"Amazing! There he was on camera before tens of millions of television viewers wearing a ragtag outfit. It began when he forgot – yes forgot – to bring his uniform. Still desiring to play, he went to work putting together a makeshift arrangement.
He bought a shirt from a replica shop. Wrote his number on the back with a felt-tip marker. Borrowed socks from a player on another team. And purchased his cap at the airport. What a sight!" (5)
That player should have read Jesus' parable about the foolish virgins. Or the one about the man who showed up at a banquet in the wrong garment. The willingness or the failure to prepare says a lot about a person's character.
Contrast his haphazard approach to life to our Apollo astronauts. On one moon expedition Apollo Captain Conrad commented, "It's just like old home week. I feel like I've been here many times before. After all, we have been rehearsing this moment for the past four years!"
Or contrast his attitude to that of a man like Sen. Sam Erwin. Olin Robison happened to be with Sen. Sam Erwin on the night before the Watergate hearing began. Olin Robison said, "Senator, we all look for a great deal from you tomorrow, it must be a tremendous weight." Robison reports that with no arrogance whatsoever, Sam Erwin looked at him and said: "Son, all my life I've been preparing for this moment. I am ready."
Graham Greene once observed. "There is always one moment when the door opens and lets the future in." Will you be ready when your time comes? Robert Runcie was. During a battle in WW II a British tank was hit. The crew, except for the co– driver, scrambled out. The turret on the tank was stuck in such a position where it could not be opened, pinning the co-pilot inside. Under heavy fire, a soldier jumped out of his own tank, ran to turn the turret, and dragged the co-pilot out. That soldier, Robert Runcie, was ready to do what was needed in WW II.
He was also ready to do what was needed when he became Archbishop of Canterbury many years later. Victory goes to those who are prepared. Preparation and character go hand in hand. One more thing needs to be said.
IT IS AMAZING THAT MANY OF US WHO ARE PREPARED FOR LIFE FAIL TO PREPARE FOR ETERNITY.
We get our degrees in school. We osition ourselves for the right jobs. We set our goals ten years in advance. We know where we want to retire. Each year we sock away the limit in our IRAs. And we totally disregard the most important reality of all--our relationship with God. Until it's too late and we are unprepared.
There is an old legend about a man who had a rather stupid servant. The master often got exasperated with his servant. One day in a fit of frustration he said to the servant, "You've got to be the stupidest man I've ever met. Look, I want you to take this staff and carry it with you. And if you ever meet a man stupider than you are, give him the staff." So the servant carried the staff. Often out in the marketplace he'd meet some pretty stupid people. But he was never sure they were worse off than he. Years passed with the servant carrying his staff. Then one day, he came back to the castle and was ushered into the bedroom of his master. His master was quite sick.
In the course of their conversation, the master said, "I'm going on a long journey." The servant said, "When do you plan to be back?" The master said, "This is a journey from which I'll not return." The servant said, "Sir, have you made all the necessary preparations?" The master said, "No, I have not." The servant said, "Could you have made preparations?" The master said, "Yes, I guess I've had my life to make them, but I've been busy about other things." The servant said "Master, you're going on a journey from which you'll never return, you could've prepared for it, and you just didn't?" The master said, "Yes, I guess that's right." The servant took the staff he'd carried so long and said, “Master take this with you. At last I've met a man more stupid than myself."
Could that be us? Could we be that foolish? I hope not. I surely hope not. Victory belongs to those who are prepared.
Preparation is an essential characteristic of character. The most important preparation we can make is for eternity.
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1. Loyal Jones and Billy Edd Wheeler, LAUGHTER IN APPALACHIA, (New York: Ivy Books, 1987).
2. BITS AND PIECES
3. John R. Noe, PEAK PERFORMANCE PRINCIPLES FOR HIGH ACHIEVERS, (New York: Berkley Books, 1984).
4. TREASURY OF CHRISTIAN FAITH, Stuber and Clark, p. 659.
5. Jon Johnston, WALLS OR BRIDGES, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1988).
6. David W. Richardson, "The Christian Century", 12/3/86, p. 1092.
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