“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1Pt1.13
There are many useful knots when one is rock climbing. Often when Brenda and I are going out of town I will practice tying various knots, while she drives. I will tie them again and again. One reason I do this, is that being able to make certain knots quickly, efficiently, and sometimes, even with only one hand, comes in handy went hanging fifty feet off the ground. One does not wish to worry about how to tie a one hand bowline when performing a self rescue. The idea is that you rehearse, before the actual performance.
Now the same thing is true in efficiently living out many expressions of the Christian life. We should prepare our minds for action before action is required. We rehearse our responses, so that we will in truth, respond, rather than react. One example would be our interaction with others. Say a person insults you. We are encouraged to let our speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that we will know how to answer each person. Notice that one prepares the mind beforehand, so that they will know how to respond when the insult occurs. We have all had conversations with others in our mind. Many times, these make believe conversations are the dress rehearsal before the performance. This is one of the reasons why Christians have always put emphasis on teaching and reflection. God’s Word tells us the proper response to life’s various encounters. The need for these mental dress rehearsals has numerous applications. Now, is the time to prepare my response to lust, to anger, to worry or fear. One should not wait for the crisis to occur, instead, we ready our responses ahead of time. Preparing the mind for action enables a self-controlled response rather than an out of controlled reaction. It is before I am slapped on the cheek, that I do the dress rehearsal to turn the other. 2/9/07 ts
Just me trying to be honest with God.
