Prepared, Not Compared

What if you’re not behind…
 What if you’re not late…
 What if you’re more prepared than you think?

Season 6 of It’s A Single Mom Thing begins with one powerful word: Prepare.

In this episode, Sherry speaks directly to the single mom who feels tired, overwhelmed, and unsure how to prepare for a future she can’t clearly see. If you’re living in survival mode, comparing your life to others, or wondering how to trust God when there’s no clear plan, this conversation is for you.

Drawing from 1 Corinthians 2:9, Sherry unpacks what it really means to be prepared—not compared, and why God often prepares the person long before revealing the promise. Through the stories of Joseph and Daniel, she explores how God works in the waiting, in exile, and in seasons that don’t feel productive—but are deeply formative.

You’ll also hear practical encouragement for:

• Single moms living without a clear plan
• Preparing your heart when life feels reactive
• Letting go of comparison, pressure, and control
• Understanding preparation as partnership with God, not performance
• Trusting God when clarity hasn’t come yet
• Finding hope when you feel behind or unprepared

With real talk, faith, and a little sass, this episode reminds you that preparation isn’t about having everything figured out—it’s about making room for God to work.

And it ends with a question you won’t be able to shake:

What if the clarity you’re asking God for only comes after obedience?

🎧 Listen in, sit with it, and come back ready for what’s next.

If you need prayer or support, Shepherd’s Village is here for you.
 📞 Prayer Line: 855-822-PRAY

Chapters

• 0:00 Tired But Not Behind
• 2:06 A Season Built On One Word: Prepare
• 3:15 Prepared Not Compared
• 5:40 Preparation Without A Plan
• 8:06 Doing It Scared
• 10:24 Joseph: Prepared In The Waiting
• 13:40 Daniel: Faithful Where Planted
• 16:05 Preparation As Partnership
• 18:38 Letting Go To Make Room
• 19:52 Obedience Before Clarity

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to It's a Single Mom Thing, the show for single moms by single moms. This is Sherry, your host, and I am happy you are here today. Remember, it's a single mom thing, and not the simple thing that stops you.

SPEAKER_01: 0:15

If you're listening today and you feel a little tired, but not physically tired, I'm talking, you're tired in your thinking, in your hoping. Tired even in your waiting. Well, this episode is for you. If you have found yourself asking God, well, what now? Or what's next? Because hello, it's another new year. Or even, how am I supposed to prepare when I don't even know what I'm preparing for? Well, ladies, you didn't find this episode by accident. Maybe, listen, you're one of those listening and you're doing everything you know how to do. You're showing up, you're holding it together, looking so cute while you're doing it. You're making decisions without a backup plan. Look at me. And quietly, though, you're wondering if you're missing something, like some hidden ingredient. Listen to me. It's a new year. Or falling even behind. Well, let me tell you something right up front. So don't tune me out yet. Even if the rent is late again, and you're that's you listening, or even if you're just trying to survive the week, or even if the preparation feels like something well, other people get to do. Listen, you are not behind. You're not late, and you are not unprepared. I know, shocker, but that's why you want to stay here because you want to understand why you are okay. Well, this season, listen, it isn't about chasing what's next. I'm talking about the podcast season and even our season where we're at right now. Okay, it's not chasing what's next. This is what I'm talking about. It's preparing for it. Aren't you glad you're here? Welcome to season six of It's a Single Mom Thing. Woo-woo. So listen, this podcast season, well, it begins with one word that God gave me. And it is just one word. And here it is. You ready? Prepare. That's it. That is all I got. No full plan, no mapped-out episodes for the year. Nope. Just a deep knowing inside my knowing that God's working even when we can't see it yet. So it's gonna be a ride. I can't wait to see what he does. But we're gonna start here, and we're gonna start with this scripture, okay? And it is found in 1 Corinthians 2, 9 in the NIV. And it says this that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those that love him. What God has prepared for you, my friend, is rare. And today we are talking about how to be prepared, not compared, and how to make room for God to do what only He can do. So if you've been living without a plan and wondering how to prepare anyway, well, yeah, you are gonna want to stay with me because listen, you think that this conversation is going one way, but it is going a whole different direction. This conversation, I dare to say, might exactly be what your heart's been waiting for. So instead of saying happy new year, I want to say happy due year, that is what I am saying this year, and I'm saying it not because we have everything figured out. Oh no, no, no, no. It's because this is the year we stop waiting to feel ready. And instead, we start doing the work of preparation. Now, uh, listen, I am not talking about doing more and adding to our plate, and I certainly am not talking about doing it perfectly. I'm talking about just doing it on purpose. You see, single moms don't live in theory, right? We live in reality, and sometimes it is harsh realities. And while preparation in real life, it doesn't always come with a plan. Am I right? So this year it's interesting that he's challenging us to prepare. Prepared, not compared. Well, let's talk about the trap that so many of us fall into without even realizing it. Women do this all the time. And I'm talking about comparison, right? We compare what? We compare timelines, we compare outcomes, we even compare prayers that seem answered. You know, the ones that feel stuck like on your text message as on red, R-E-A-D, is what I'm saying. And comparison, isn't it funny that has a way of convincing us that God is doing more for someone else? Like, really, when he's honestly, he's just doing something different for us. So let's go back to that verse again, 1 Corinthians 2 9, because it reminds us that what God has prepared for you. I'm talking to you and me. No one else has seen it, no one else has heard it or even conceived it because it wasn't prepared for them, it was prepared for you. Are you kind of curious? Oh, just a little where the season's going, because I am. And so listen, when we spend our energy watching what God's doing in someone else's life, well, what happens? We miss the quiet work he's doing in ours. You see, I have found that comparison, well, it distracts, but preparation, it positions. Comparison keeps your eyes sideways. Why preparation keeps your heart ready? So listen, when preparation comes without a plan, well, what is a girl to do? Well, listen, preparation, well, it doesn't always come with clarity. Am I right? Most single moms are already living this way. Listen to me, living this way. You don't have a five-year plan. You barely have a faith for today plan. So God's not asking you to prepare for something you can see, right? Because what is faith? Faith is the absence of things we cannot see. God is not asking you to prepare for something you can see. So he is asking you to do what? Listen, he's asking you, my friend, to prepare yourself. Well, for what? For whatever comes. You see, God rarely, and if you've been walking with him for a long time, you know this to be true. God rarely gives us the full picture. In my case, I feel like he always starts from the end and works his way backwards. He prepares the person though, before he reveals what? The promise. You see, so then preparation, this is gonna be go contrary to what we believe or have been taught. Preparation without a plan, then it isn't chaos. Maybe it's trust. So if you live in Florida though, like me, this might mess with your mind just a little bit. Because you know, when a hurricane comes, we prepare for what? We prepare for what we can see like long before it even gets here. We watch the track, we watch the spaghetti models, we then buy the water, we board the windows, we stock the batteries, we prepare for the storm we expect. But listen, God doesn't work like a hurricane season. Oh no, God's not asking you to prepare for something you can see. Again, right? We're going to go over this again. He is doing what? He is asking you to prepare what? Better be saying it out loud with me, yourself. And for what? For whatever comes. Because listen, some storms don't come with a forecast. Am I right? Some storms don't show up on a radar, some storms don't even look like storms at first. And the storms that change us the most, they are usually the ones we never saw coming. That's why preparation with God looks different. Now I'm not saying that he's having us prepare for a storm. Do not read into this and think that's where this podcast is going. I was just making an analogy. But here's what I do want to talk about. And this is something that I'm doing in my happy due year, and it's called doing it scared. So if I'm being really honest with you, preparation in this season for us might mean doing it scared. And what does that mean? Well, it means choosing movement over excuses, it means living the life I know God is calling me to, even when it feels just a little uncomfortable. You see, I don't have to have everything lined up perfectly. I try, but I have learned to let go. I don't feel 100% ready, but what do I feel? I do feel obedient. Odd, I know. So sometimes obedience, ladies, looks like action with shaky hands. Oh no, I have experienced that. Trust me. Preparation. It doesn't mean fear's gone. Maybe it means fear doesn't get the final say. Wouldn't that be nice? Some of y'all, I'm wondering, are waiting. You are waiting to feel confident before you make a move. Ooh, who did that sting? But listen, confidence often comes after obedience. Ooh, yes, I said that. So single moms, listen, you don't get the luxury of perfect timing. We learn to show up, anyways. So doing it scared isn't just reckless, it's faithful. We're gonna do it scared. So I want to talk about some people in the Bible that we can glean some wisdom from. So in this section, we're gonna talk about being prepared from the inside out. Now, we've all heard the story of Joseph, but today I don't want to retell that story. What I want to do is I want us to step into it. I want us to imagine being Joseph. Okay? So hold on. We're going to be Joseph. So we're young. We've been given a dream from God. It's big. Oh, and it's clear, and you are confident, girl. At this point, you don't yet have the wisdom, though, to match the revelation. You believe God has big plans for you and you expect them to happen sooner rather than later. But then, oof, oof, then comes the pit, didn't see that. Betrayal, rejection, silence. The dream, yeah, it doesn't disappear, but now it feels a little mmm confusing. You start questioning what you thought you heard from God. You wonder why something that came from him, well, why would it lead you here? This is where your confidence turns into humility. And certainty, it gives way to dependence. But next, what's next? Next, well, then comes the prison. Oop, didn't see that coming. Not because you did something wrong, but because you chose to do the right thing. Well, how is that right? You're faithful, but there's no feedback, no applause, no timeline. But this, ladies, this is where character deepens. You learn how to lead without a title, you learn how to serve without recognition, you learn how to trust God when obedience doesn't seem to pay off. Time passes, the waiting stretches on, life keeps happening. The dream it feels distant now. But something, something inside of you though, has shifted. What is it? You see, you're no longer asking when this will happen. Instead, you're focused on who you're becoming. You begin to realize the dream might not have been about elevation for your sake, but about provision for others. And then one day, on one day, everything changes. On one day, Joseph was elevated, not because he demanded it, but because he was ready. The preparation, imagine that, matched the promotion. He doesn't panic in the palace because he's already learned how to trust God. Where? In the pit, in the prison. Joseph wasn't just being prepared for leadership, ladies. He was being prepared for responsibility, for stewardship, for forgiveness when some people weren't going to deserve it, and for saving lives. Listen, God didn't just prepare the position, He prepared the person. Single mom, ladies, listen, listen, listen, listen. You may be in a pit season, probably, or even a prison season, or a very long waiting season. Every one of those seasons, ladies, though, listen, I promise you, it is preparing you for something and something that you can't see yet. Listen, I have found in my experience, if God promotes you before he prepares you, and he's not going to do that because he loves you too much, if he does that, then the blessing is going to become a burden. What if, and I just want to ask you this heart to heart, what if the season that you're trying to rush through is the very season God is using to prepare you? I know it's crazy. I know it's hard. But listen, what if nothing changes around you? I'm just going to challenge you. Nothing around you is going to change until what? Something, my friend, changes within you. Joseph shows us how God prepares us internally. I wonder if he's preparing us for that. But I'm not done there, okay? Listen, then there's our boy Daniel. Now listen, Daniel, he was living in a foreign land. We're going to talk about being prepared where you are planted, okay? So listen, he was living in a foreign land, serving under kings who didn't know his God. Daniel didn't wait for conditions to be perfect in order to be faithful. He prepared right where he was planted. You see, when most people think about Daniel, I'm guessing that you are probably thinking about the lion's den, right? But Daniel's story, ladies, listen, it is so much bigger than that one moment of rescue. And here's why I'm going to share it with you because it is so important, possibly, to this message of prepare that God is putting on our heart. You see, Daniel lived most of his life in exile. And instead of checking out, well, he did the opposite. He actually showed up. And what did that look like? Well, he served, he influenced, he stayed faithful. Daniel, listen, he was trained in the language, literature, and wisdom of Babylon. He worked in the courts of kings, he interpreted dreams, he lived his faith openly in places, ladies, listen, in places where God wasn't honored. Does that sound like where some of us are at today? And listen, Daniel didn't separate his faith from his work. No, he brought God into those spaces. He had some courage. Over time, listen what happened. Over time, how that translated. Daniel trained and influenced, listen to this, the wise men who are known as the Magi, who studied the stars, preserved prophecy, and passed knowledge from generation to generation. And listen, generations later, those same wise men followed a star. They journeyed far from home and they arrived to worship a child they have never met, but believed was king. Daniel never saw the full impact of his faithfulness, but his preparation echoed through generations, and we are here in 2026 talking about it. Single mom, hear me when I say you may not see what God is doing right now. Odds are you are not. But listen, oh, your obedience today, ladies, oh, it could be shaping something far bigger than you realize. And I'm not gonna dishonor or discredit that it's hard. Trust me, I'm I'm walking those shoes. I get it. But listen, possibly preparation doesn't always have to look like movement and when we think it does. Sometimes it just needs to look like faithfulness right where you are. Listen, God's not limited by your location, He prepares you right there. And sometimes a place that feels like exile, well, that is the very place God is using to prepare something far bigger than you can see. So we're gonna go into this segment called My Life His Purpose. Because listen, you know life already feels like ready or not. Here I come. Am I right? So when God says prepare, he's not adding pressure. On the contrary, I think he's offering partnership. Preparation, maybe it isn't passive, and it's definitely not control. Preparation is partnership. That's interesting. So then, prepared, not compared, well, then that means we need to stop measuring our lives against someone else's timeline or where the world says we should be right now. Maybe we should start asking what obedience looks like in ours. Sometimes I have found that making room for God means that we are gonna have to let go of some things. What does that mean? Well, that might mean letting go of a boyfriend because you wanted a partner so badly that you partnered with the wrong person. And I'm not blaming no shame in that. I'm just pointing out maybe a situation. Maybe it's letting go of the pressure to keep up, or letting go of the belief that you're behind, or letting go of the need to be ready for everything. Oh, that's me. Preparation, my friends, creates room for God to work what isn't working for you. Uh, I'm kind of excited to see what he's gonna do this year. So as I close, I want you to hear this. God never said, here's your life, now go figure it out. So maybe the exhaustion that we feel isn't because we're doing too much. Maybe the reason this feels so heavy isn't because you need another person. I need another person. Maybe it's because we're doing it alone. Ladies, what if the clarity you keep asking God for only comes after obedience? Not before it. Have a wonderful week and remember it's a single mom thing and not the single thing that stops you.

SPEAKER_00: 20:07

Thanks for listening to It's a Single Mom Thing. I hope you enjoyed our time together. If you have more questions on how to have a relationship with Jesus or need prayer, visit us at www.shepherdsvillage.com backslash prayer. For more information and resources, check out our show notes.