Watchfulness Without Anxiety: What Jesus Meant by “Be Ready”
There is a difference between being alert and being alarmed.
Many people don’t realize how easily the two get confused—especially when conversations turn toward the future. Words like watch, prepare, and be ready can quietly slide into something heavier: restlessness, tension, the sense that you should always be bracing for impact.
But that is not how Jesus spoke to His followers.
When Jesus talked about readiness, He wasn’t trying to keep people on edge. He was trying to keep them grounded.
In Matthew 24, after describing disruption and uncertainty, Jesus says:
“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44)
That sentence has often been used to stir fear. But when you read it in context—and in the tone Jesus consistently used—it reads very differently.
It reads like a reminder, not a threat.
Be ready does not mean be frantic.
It does not mean stay afraid.
It does not mean live as if disaster is around every corner.
It means: live awake.
There’s a reason Jesus paired readiness with watchfulness rather than panic. Watchfulness implies awareness, not exhaustion. It means discernment, not obsession. It implies attention to what matters most, not fixation on every passing alarm.
Watchfulness is a posture of the heart.
And if we’re honest, many people today are tired—not because they lack faith, but because they’ve confused watchfulness with constant tension.
They feel responsible for monitoring everything.
They feel guilty when they want to rest.
They feel uneasy when things are quiet, as if peace itself is suspicious.
That’s not spiritual readiness.
That’s spiritual burnout.
Jesus never called His followers to live that way.
In fact, when He warned about deception, He didn’t say, “Track every rumor.” He said:
“See that no one leads you astray.” (Matthew 24:4)
That kind of clarity requires calm.
You cannot discern well when you are constantly anxious.
You cannot hear God clearly when your nervous system is always on high alert.
And this is where one of the quietest women in Scripture becomes a powerful guide for us: Anna.
Anna appears briefly in Luke 2, but her life speaks volumes about watchfulness done well.
Scripture tells us that Anna was a widow who spent years in the temple, worshiping, praying, and waiting. When Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus into the temple, Anna recognized Him immediately. No spectacle. No drama. No confusion.
She knew.
Luke writes:
“Coming up at that very hour, she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38)
Anna had been waiting—not with clenched fists, but with open hands.
She wasn’t chasing signs.
She wasn’t scanning rumors.
She wasn’t anxious.
She was faithful.
Her watchfulness didn’t steal her peace; it sharpened her recognition.
That’s the kind of readiness Jesus points toward.
Anna teaches us something important for our own time: you can be deeply aware without being deeply disturbed.
Many Baby Boomers understand this intuitively, even if they don’t always have language for it.
You’ve lived long enough to know that constant vigilance wears a person down. You’ve also lived long enough to know that ignoring reality isn’t wisdom either.
So the question becomes: How do we stay ready without losing our peace?
Scripture offers a few clear answers.
First, readiness is rooted in relationship, not information.
Anna recognized Jesus because she knew God’s voice—not because she had a checklist of signs. In the same way, readiness today comes from staying close to what is true, not from consuming everything loud.
Second, readiness prioritizes character over prediction.
Jesus never told His followers to calculate dates. He told them to remain faithful, loving, discerning, and awake. Those qualities don’t require you to know when something will happen—only how to live while you wait.
Third, readiness allows rest.
This may be the most countercultural truth of all.
If watchfulness meant sleeplessness, Jesus would have modeled that. Instead, He often withdrew. He prayed. He rested. He trusted the Father’s timing.
Peace is not disobedience.
Rest is not denial.
Stillness is not ignorance.
In fact, peace is often the clearest sign that your readiness is rooted in trust rather than fear.
This matters because many of the fears people carry today are not abstract—they’re practical and deeply personal.
Economic stability feels uncertain.
Healthcare feels complicated.
Communities feel fragmented.
Technology moves faster than wisdom.
Violence and division feel closer to home.
Values feel contested.
In the middle of all that, “be ready” can feel like one more burden to carry.
But Jesus did not add burdens.
He lifted them.
He spoke of readiness as a way of life that simplifies rather than overwhelms.
Readiness means knowing what deserves your attention—and what does not.
It means investing in what endures.
It means aligning your life with God’s truth so that when change comes, you are not shaken at the core.
Anna’s life shows us that watchfulness can be quiet.
It can be patient.
It can be peaceful.
And it can still be powerful.
She did not miss the moment because she was not distracted by noise.
She recognized God’s movement because she had learned to live attentively.
That’s the invitation for us now.
Not to live on edge.
Not to withdraw in fear.
But to cultivate a steady attentiveness—rooted in Scripture, grounded in prayer, connected to community, and shaped by trust.
So here is a simple reflection to carry with you this week:
What would it look like for you to be watchful without being anxious?
What might you need to release?
What rhythms might you need to restore?
What voices might you need to quiet so that God’s voice becomes clearer?
Readiness does not require perfection.
It requires presence.
And presence begins with peace.
As always, there’s no pressure at the end of this post—only an open door.
If this brought you peace, take what you need and sit with it.
And if you want to go deeper, my Women of the Covenant ebook walks through these stories slowly—no hype, no politics, just Scripture and clarity.
In the next post, we’ll talk about discernment—how to recognize truth in an age of deception, without becoming cynical or suspicious of everything.
Steady faith does not shout.
It listens.
And God will provide.
