Prepare with Purpose

Lately, my life has been full of preparation.

Starting a new job, planning for Kyle and Emily’s wedding, upcoming talks, lessons and workshops, some travel, visitors, many meetings and the Christmas Light the World Charity Machines initiative.

Every morning, I prepare myself spiritually through prayer, scripture study, and journaling to plan for and prepare for the day ahead.

For me, preparation is everywhere right now.

But more than schedules and events, I’ve been thinking about how we prepare our hearts, for the future, for the Lord Jesus Christ, His second coming, and for the things that truly matter.

James E. Faust once told the story of a restaurant clock that stopped a few minutes after noon. The owner left it there because people kept coming in, thinking they were hungry just by looking at it.

It’s a reminder that some people are guided by broken clocks, or false signals that distract from what’s real, responding to external cues rather than internal conviction.

Are you living with broken clocks in your life?

We live in a world full of distractions, and yet I know that preparation helps me stay grounded.

Ezra Taft Benson taught that the Book of Mormon has given us a pattern for preparing for the Saviour’s second coming.

A significant part of the book focuses on the years just before Christ appeared in the Americas.

In that record, we see both destruction and deliverance.

Some were ready.

Some were not.

And what made the difference?

It was simply preparation.

Not just physically, but importantly, spiritually.

This morning, I am reminded of a verse in Alma 34:32: “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God.”

That’s a key focus of preparation and it should be our why.

So, whatever you’re preparing for, a new semester at university, a new role, a major life event, or the quiet work of daily discipleship, my invitation is to prepare with intention.

Prepare with faith.

And prepare with the Spirit.

What are you doing today to prepare for what matters most?