It’s been said that success in any realm of life is the result of two primary factors, opportunity and preparedness. Living on the southeast coast of the USA we’re constantly reminded to prepare for possible hurricanes. On the west coast they’re reminded to prepare for earthquakes and fires, while in the middle of the country they’re told to prepare for tornadoes. In our culture, we primarily prepare to avoid disasters. In spite of this, most people’s lives end up in disasters because they fail to prepare to meet opportunities. Don’t get me wrong we should always prepare for disasters, but we should likewise prepare for those opportunities that have the potential of leading us to success. 

Oftentimes the difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person is preparedness. The question is, why do some prepare and others don’t?  In Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins we discover the answer to this question. In the parable, 10 women are given the same opportunity; five of them were successful and the other five were unsuccessful.  The reason for the success of the five, and the failure to succeed of the other five has nothing to do with talents, abilities, or even finances.  The difference is, that five women acted responsibly while the other five acted irresponsibly. 

Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. – Matthew 25: 2-4 NIV

If you’re seeking to grow in a career, you must have previously prepared for that growth; otherwise the opportunity will go to someone who did prepare. If you’re seeking to invest in, or open your own business, you must be prepared financially and professionally for that opportunity. If you’re looking to marry the right person, you must prepare to be the type of person the “right person” is looking for. When opportunities meet with preparedness great things happen.