As we saw last time, Peter is writing to Christians who were beginning to feel the heat of the persecutions begun by the Roman Emperor Nero.
His first admonition to these believers was to Tighten Up their thinking, as we noted there.
Next he progresses from thoughts to feelings. This is our subject for today.
Calm Down Your Emotions
In 1995, American psychologist Daniel Goleman released his groundbreaking book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. (I highly recommend reading it.)
More than any other volume I can think of, this book shows the importance of emotional control and emotional maturity.
I find it compelling that emotional control is the very subject of Peter’s next injunction to us as he tells us how to handle tough times.
On the heels of gird up the loins of your mind, he tells us, be sober.
The Greek word used for “be sober” means to get control – to be calm and collected in spirit. It was also used to carry the idea of weighing things out.
We can put these ideas together to reach the conclusion that if we want to be able to consider a crisis or difficulty we are facing accurately, we cannot have our emotions running amuck.
It takes a degree of calmness to be able to weigh the matter out in a way that is biblically informed and psychologically healthy.
Otherwise, hearkening back to last week’s post, we will likely catastrophize the matter. This serves only to ramp the emotions higher. Which makes us feel even more out of control.
How wise of Peter to begin with prepare your minds for action (“gird up the loins of your mind”), in verse 13.
Why?
Because panicked feelings are the result of panicked thinking.
Thought steers feeling.
In tough times it is imperative that as believers we discipline ourselves to think biblically... to anchor to truth.
For example, when I am going through a difficult patch in life, there is a verse I return to as my mainstay – my anchor point. While there are several passages I turn to, I find myself over and over anchoring to Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
It is impossible to abide in “perfect peace” and unravel emotionally at the same time.
If we first get our minds in the right place, even in hard times it is possible to be emotionally “sober” – that is, calm and in control of our feelings.
Til next time,
