“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.” — 2 Timothy 4:2

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My wife and I recently took a trip to New York City, where we saw “The Outsiders” on Broadway. The show was incredible. And unless the production team had slipped a note into the playbill telling you otherwise, you never would have known that some of the lead characters were played by understudies.

Since then, the soundtrack has lived on repeat in our house, which — like most things we love — sent us down a rabbit hole of learning more about the cast. What amazed me most was discovering that several actors have performed multiple roles in the show since being cast, stepping in wherever they were needed. Memorizing and perfecting one role on Broadway feels daunting enough. Being ready to execute several — often with little notice — feels almost impossible. And yet, night after night, they delivered without missing a beat.

That kind of readiness isn’t unique to the stage. We see it all the time in sports. A backup quarterback gets told on Saturday night that he’s starting on Sunday. A relief pitcher is warming up because the starter’s arm tightens after the first inning. A seldom-used player gets plucked from the end of the bench to check in during a crucial moment.

These situations don’t allow for extra preparation. They simply reveal whether preparation has already taken place. When opportunity knocks unexpectedly, the question isn’t, “Can you get ready?” Instead, it’s, “Are you ready?”

Few people embody this better than former NFL long snapper Matt Overton. Throughout his career, Overton became known for a simple mantra: “Stay ready.”

As a specialist who has been signed mid-season at times, he lived with the reality that a phone call could change everything. There was no runway, no time to ramp up. His job was to be prepared long before his name appeared on a roster. And because he was, he carved out a long, respected NFL career built not on headlines, but on faithfulness in the unseen work. As the saying goes, “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.”

Overton now works with high school and college long snappers to help them prepare in the same way.

Scripture echoes this same call. Paul urges Timothy, “Be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). Jesus tells His followers, “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning” (Luke 12:35). Readiness, in the Biblical sense, isn’t frantic hustle or anxious striving. Instead, it looks more like steady faithfulness. It’s showing up every day, even when no one’s watching, trusting that God sees the preparation long before He reveals the assignment.

Let us accept God’s invitation to live that way. You don’t want to be scrambling when life calls your number. You want to be walking daily in obedience, attentiveness and trust so that when the moment comes, you don’t have to get ready — you already are.

— Cole Claybourn

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