Being Prepared
As I’ve grown older, I’ve discovered that having the correct gear, the right equipment, for any given activity, has become more and more interesting. Whether you play sport, or get into bushwalking or rock climbing, or play in a band, or pursue something like art (whether as a hobby or professionally) buying the correct equipment becomes half the fun.
My brother-in-law is a carpenter, as well as, fascinatingly, a professional Argentinian tango dancer and teacher. Don’t ask me how those two things go together! To hear him talk about the relative strengths and weaknesses of power drills is a revelation. It’s crucial for him, because his livelihood depends on his tools working, but he is also genuinely interested in having the correct gear.
As a keen cyclist, I am all too aware of the temptation to invest more and more in getting just the right equipment!
Being prepared, having the right equipment, having the right mental attitude, is half the battle in life. In fact, it’s probably more than half the battle. Being prepared, and then turning up with the right attitude, is a huge part of success.
So, let me challenge you to ponder, how much preparation have you done in a spiritual sense? In his letter to the Ephesians (chapter) St Paul uses this imagery of a soldier putting on armour for battle as a way of talking about being prepared, spiritually, for life. Prayer, Christian meditation, mindfulness, these things are your best gear when it comes to living a happy life. Prayer and meditation will actually make you calmer and happier, because you’ll be prepared for whatever life throws at you.
The challenge as you get older, when you will probably be spending more and more time buying the right equipment for jobs and hobbies, is also to spend time equipping yourself to be calm and happy. Prayer and meditation are the tools you need.
The Reverend Dr Theo McCall
School Chaplain
