Trust In GOD But Lock Your Car

Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.  This week I recall two examples of this kind of thinking.  Let me share them with you.

On Friday, I hosted a dinner and awards night organized by GLICO Life, a major player in Ghana's insurance industry.  The talented Shabo Crew band was backing highlife maestro Amakye Dede.  Guests had packed the dance floor and energy levels were sky high.  Suddenly I noticed that the drummer was no longer pounding out the beat with his kick drum.  His pedal had snapped, a common occurrence with drummers who play too vigorously.  I watched to see what would happen.  Literally without missing a beat, one of the singers simply connected an electric drum kit and proceeded to fill in the missing beats by hitting the electric drum with a stick.  Nobody on the dance floor had the slightest inkling of what had just transpired.  I smiled.  "That's a professional band", I said to myself.  They had anticipated the problem and were prepared to deal with it when it occurred.

On Saturday, I had the privilege of moderating a colloquium at the Springboard Road Show.  Three speakers were billed to make presentations.  I successfully introduced the first two by reading their profiles from a sheet.  Time to introduce the last speaker to begin the discussion.  That's when I knew I had a problem.  My paper with the speaker's information was nowhere to be found.  Immediately, I launched into an improvised speech while my fingers slid across my iPad hunting frantically for the backup soft copy.  Relief.  Document found, problem solved.

It doesn't matter whether you are a singer or a speaker, a banker or a boxer, no matter what you do and no matter how hopeful you are about the outcome, prepare for problems.  Trust in GOD but lock your car.