Little is more stressful to me than feeling unprepared and so in anticipation of my girls beginning school this fall, I spent most of the summer preparing. I researched and bought lunch boxes and school supplies, learned how the car line works, got ideas for packing school lunches, and then worried about how I would stay on top of packing said school lunches—all of this in hopes of preparing my girls for a new routine and a new school environment with new friends and new teachers.

The parable of the ten virgins that we hear from the Gospel of Matthew today tempts me to stress about all the ways I need to prepare oil for my lamp in anticipation of meeting the Bridegroom: Am I praying enough? Have I served the poor enough? Am I raising my children to love God enough? Am I kind enough? What else should I be doing to prepare for the unexpected time when I will come face to face with God?

I certainly can and should attend to these questions to continually discern how God is calling me to know better, love more, and serve him and those he has placed in my life. And yet, I cannot simply rely on my efforts. I will do what I can and trust that God will fill in the rest. The foolish virgins weren’t prepared, but there is another key fact we often overlook—they weren’t there when the bridegroom came.

By the time the first day of school rolled around for our family, I had prepared as much as possible, and I had to trust God to fill in the rest. I know God will care for us and bring good out of whatever we encounter this school year. I will remain close to him with as much or as little oil as I have at each moment to respond to his invitations and promptings so I can be present when the Bridegroom comes.