\n\t\tHow to Make a 5-Minute Plan for Any Emergency\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
By Kathi Lipp<\/p>\n\t
![\"Kathi](\"\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/KathiLipp_330.png\")
When is the worst time to decide what to do in an emergency?<\/p>\n
When the emergency hits.<\/p>\n
As someone who watches all kinds of \u201cemergency\u201d shows on TV\u2014ER, Chicago Med, Hill Street Blues, Grey\u2019s Anatomy, M*A*S*H<\/em>\u2014I always thought that when something bad happened, I would get my hero on and do the right thing. I had the secret thought that if my kid were pinned under a car, I\u2019d be able to lift a Toyota Sienna minivan to get her out from underneath.<\/p>\n But as my husband, Roger, and I learned through firsthand experience, most of us temporarily lose our minds in the midst of a crisis. Our emotions make us stupid. And that is why the concept of predeciding<\/em> is so vital.<\/p>\n Predeciding is when you make a decision before you get into the thick of a situation. It can be as simple as making a menu plan for the rest of the week so you don\u2019t get to five thirty each night and have to figure out what in the world you are going to make for dinner. Or it can be as hard as deciding that the next time I see Aunt June and she mentions how much weight I\u2019ve gained\u2014because she lives for that kind of thing\u2014I\u2019m going to say, \u201cSo good to see you,\u201d and then give my husband the preagreed-upon signal to get me out of there.<\/p>\n Predeciding takes most of the emotion out of decisions because we are not in the midst of the situation. We can use logic and wisdom instead of adrenaline and anxiety. And that will make our decisions\u2014for us and our family\u2014so much better, healthier, and wiser.<\/p>\n One of the biggest benefits of predeciding is giving ourselves and our loved ones the confidence that if something scary happens, we have a plan.<\/p>\n Throughout the Bible we see God honoring those who made decisions before they were ever tested who remained faithful to their plans.<\/p>\n Here are some other examples:<\/p>\n These are just a few of the circumstances where God empowered people to set a course and follow it, despite hardship and temptations to choose a different route.<\/p>\n Most of prep involves some form of predeciding, but for no other prep is it more important than this one: what you do in the first five minutes of a crisis.<\/p>\n Think through what you would do in the first five minutes after your most likely emergency, and then discuss it with the people you live with. For us, the two most likely emergencies are job loss and earthquake (because we live in California). If Roger came home and told me he had been laid off, my reaction, before coming up with a five-minute plan, would have been to cry and panic. (My dad was unemployed much of my childhood, and my first husband went through extended times of unemployment, so job loss is a tender spot in my life.) Crying and panicking would only have added insult to injury for Roger, I\u2019m sure. In an earthquake, my reaction before coming up with my five-minute plan would have been to call all my kids to see if they were okay. Some of my kids work as teachers and emergency responders, so that would have been a complete waste of time because they have to protect the people they are charged with caring for, not answer panicked calls from their mommy.<\/p>\n Now, because my husband and I have developed our five-minute plans, our responses have a higher likelihood of being planned, not panicked.<\/p>\n Our five-minute plan following a job loss:<\/p>\n Are those emergencies in this situation? Not necessarily. What I love is that we have actionable plans. We have some things to do instead of worrying. We can start to take control of the situation immediately and feel empowered to help our situation.<\/p>\n Our five-minute plan following an earthquake (conditions allowing):<\/p>\n If you have kids, make sure they have a plan for the first five minutes as well. It\u2019s easy for kids to become overwhelmed and fearful in an emergency situation, feeling helpless and unsure. But if your kids have a job to do, they can be focused and contribute to the rest of the family.<\/p>\n If your kids are at school or with a childcare worker, they are probably safest where they are for the moment. Their job is to listen to their adult in charge and help as much as they can. If your kids are at home, having a list of jobs they can do to help the family will empower them.<\/p>\n Things kids can do right after an emergency (depending on age and capability):<\/p>\n Decide now what you will do in the first five minutes after a crisis hits. It\u2019s one of the most powerful things you can do now to take care of yourself and your family later.<\/p>\n Write down your agenda for a family meeting in a notebook and schedule it on the calendar; include everyone who will have a role in the first five minutes after an emergency. Don\u2019t forget to set a deadline to finish writing your five-minute plan.<\/p>\n A big part of reducing anxiety is having a plan. Predeciding what you\u2019ll do in an emergency will give your family the confidence they need to continue getting ready for anything.<\/p>\n\t Share:<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Facebook\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Linkedin\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Pinterest\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Reddit\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Twitter\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t There are those who’ve prepared, and those who wish they had. Let Ready for Anything<\/em><\/a> be your go-to guide for facing any unexpected crisis with confidence.<\/p>\n Bad stuff happens all the time\u2014big stuff like hurricanes, wildfires, or national emergencies, and smaller-scale yet no less devastating disasters like a sudden health scare, job loss, or a computer crash. But this doesn’t mean we have to live in constant fear.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re in the midst of difficulty right now or being proactive rather than reactive, Ready for Anything<\/em><\/a> gives finite simple steps for preparing your mind, your heart, and your home for any unfortunate circumstance. Full of stories and humor along with facts, tips, and lists, Kathi offers a down-to-earth guide that will show you how to face the unexpected with confidence, relying on God’s strength and plan rather than giving in to our fear and anxiety. Her step-by-step plan is easy to implement and will help any Christian be a better steward of their resources, as well as the neighbor who helps in a crisis rather than needing help themselves.<\/p>\n For anyone who falls somewhere between “I’ll just trust God” and stocking a ten-year supply of canned pinto beans in the pantry, Ready for Anything<\/em><\/a> will show you:<\/p>\n Sign up<\/a> for the Zondervan Books Weekly and receive the PDF eBook Daily Power: The First 31 Days<\/em> by Craig Groeschel, taken from Craig’s devotional Daily Power: 365 Days of Fuel for Your Soul<\/em>.<\/p>\n With the Zondervan Books weekly email newsletter, you\u2019ll enjoy helpful articles by inspiring Zondervan authors, sample new and upcoming books, and more. With your subscription, be prepared to find more incredible books for your reading list and\/or audiobooks for your listening list.<\/p>\n Get Your Free PDF eBook Now<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Coping with Crisis HOME | Grief & Loss | Hope & Encouragement | Stories of Coping | Tools for Coping How to Make a 5-Minute Plan for Any Emergency By Kathi Lipp When is the worst time to decide what to do in an emergency? When the emergency hits. As someone who watches all kinds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9915","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
![\"Making](\"\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/ReadyForAnything1_330.jpg\")
Predeciding is an invaluable skill. Making a decision about how you will act before a crisis comes will save you pain and heartache in everything from parenting to budgeting to handling an emergency. For example, how will you act when your kid comes home with a D? How will you pay for a new transmission when your car dies? How will you get your ninety-pound German shepherd to the vet if it gets injured?<\/p>\n\n
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Your Plan<\/h3>\n
![\"rule\"](\"\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/Rule1_330.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Ready](\"\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/ReadyForAnything_330.png\")
<\/a>Adapted from Ready for Anything: Preparing Your Heart and Home for Any Crisis Big or Small<\/em><\/a> by Kathi Lipp.<\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n![\"Daily](\"\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/DailyPower-330.png\")
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