Prepare your mind

Recently, our small group has been reading through First Peter. One specific phrase in chapter 1 verse 13 has been rolling around my mind for several weeks. Peter writes, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 13, ESV).

This passage has made me reflect on what it means to be preparing my mind for action, or as another translation puts it, “gird up the loins of your mind”. I think that the reason that this phrase interests me so much is that it parallels my professional life. It is easy to think of preparing your mind as a passive, even relaxing activity, not unlike meditating, but I don’t believe that this is the only way for the phrase to be understood.

As an engineer, a huge amount of my time is spent working on tasks that could be considered “preparing for action”. All of this preparation ensures that when it is time to start using a new piece of equipment or start shipping a new product, essential systems are ready to accommodate that change without interruption.

This kind of preparation is not passive or relaxing – it is active, repetitive, and challenging. It often requires me to think in new ways, develop new understanding, or collaborate with my colleagues. I think that the preparation of our minds for action that Peter writes about can be similarly active. Activities such as prayer, study, and fellowship can be used to prepare our minds for action, but these tasks are not passive. They require focus, motivation, and discipline, and they are important to ensure that we are ready for action when opportunities arise.

If you are willing, take some time this week to consider what kind of opportunities you are being called to prepare your mind for and what actions you can take to foster that preparation.

Griffen Kociela