Mindfulness: God’s Creation
What is mindfulness? It’s a buzz word that everyone seems to be saying, but do you really understand what that means? The Bible actually was the start of this “new” thinking, not Zen Buddhists or Jon Kabat-Zinn. The Bible has at least 60 verses that show mindfulness was God’s idea. They (Buddhists or modern thinkers) simply have discovered God’s creation, but are not giving the Creator the credit. Mindfulness as a Christian can be safe and is a positive way to manage stress as long as it is rooted in scripture and not the off-shoots of man’s own thinking.
I wanted to write a post of what is mindfulness, but first we need to explore God’s meaning. In my research, I came across another like minded person Sarah. She devotes much of her website to this topic. She believes that these verses are organized into 10 topic categories. “Meditation, Gratitude, stillness, Silence and Solitude, Being Present, Letting God and Nonattachment, Attention and Focus, Awareness of Thoughts, Loving Kindness or Prayer and lastly Curiosity and Wonder.”
Mindfulness to a Christian really means we are aware of God’s presence in our daily lives. We know and feel that He is there. Who I am that You are mindful of me? God is aware of our presence, after all He created us. When we are mindful or our Creators presence our stress is reduced, and we can achieve calmness and reduce anxiety. These are also huge topics in the Bible. Why? God created us and knows our human frailties. He gives us hope and the ways to cope in His Word.
If you don’t feel God’s presence, there are ways that you can become more mindful of Him. We first need to start by knowing that God is present with us at all times. (Psalm 46:1, Psalm 46:11, John 14:16-18, Matthew 28:20, ). We need to realize that we need to cultivate that feeling by spending time with God. We can overlook His presence because we are pre-occupied or on auto-pilot. What that means is, we have a lack of awareness or mindfulness of His sovereignty. We need to be actively engaged in the present and sensitive to the world around us, being in active communication and relationship with our Creator. The state of mindfulness is a result of intentionally focusing on the present and actively being aware of our surroundings.
Even science supports this idea of mindfulness. The Values in Action (VIA) Signature Strengths Questionnaire speaks of a combination of strengths that have an impact on our ability to be mindful. “Self-regulation, bravery, integrity, perspective, citizenship, and social intelligence” from Silberman 2007. Mindfulness cultivates these strengths simultaneously and quiets the chatter in our minds. Wow, isn’t God brilliant?
Other benefits of mindfulness practice that were stated in a recent class on mindfulness by my Professor at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (UWSP) Brian Krolczyk:
• Stop thinking about yourself
• Practice savoring a moment
• Focus on breathing
• Find your flow, notice what you love
• Practice acceptance – move toward what is bothering you
• Enhance your engagement
• Break addiction to worry by creating a new life
“Maybe I’ve been screaming so many questions at Him that I haven’t taken the time to listen. Maybe I’ve listened and there really is silence.” - Steven Curtis Chapman
So how can we be more mindful as Christians?
1. We can read and believe His word as our absolute truth. We need to turn our attention to Him and not focus on ourselves, our worries and our thoughts. This is also referred to as meditating on God. We then stop thinking selfishly about ourselves. Dr. Irene Kraegel talks about how we can live more joyfully knowing God’s absolute truth. She explores this in the book, The Mindful Christian.
2. Another way we can be mindful is to remember as children of God He walk with us. We must daily choose to walk with Him. We also need to spend time with Him. Like any relationship, the more time we spend with the person, the more we get to know their character and the nuances of who they are. Sarah states in her blog post Awareness Of God’s Presence: The Heart of Christian Mindfulness “Mindfulness emphasizes paying attention to our experiences in the present moment. As Christians we believe that God is with us in the present moment. This brings a whole new layer of meaning to a Christian perspective of mindfulness, because we can experience God’s presence in the present moment.
When we pay attention to our experiences in the present moment, we can start to see God’s hand in everything. A natural response to the realization of His active presence in our lives is to “Rejoice always, pray continually, [and] give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:16-18 NIV).”
Steven Curtis Chapman, one of the founders of today’s Contemporary Christian music explosion said in a blog post May 1st, 2018, written by his beloved Mary Beth Chapman, “With all of the honesty and all of the hard, I know that down in the core, that Jesus abides and is with us. I can’t sit here and tell you that I feel Him every single second of every single day. I suppose it is definitely a two-way street, and that if you could ask Jesus, he would say that I’ve been a little distant and hard to talk to as well. Maybe I’ve been screaming so many questions at Him that I haven’t taken the time to listen. Maybe I’ve listened and there really is silence.”
3. The third way that we can be mindful as a Christian is bringing God into each moment. When we breath, we can think of Him. We can bring Him into the mundane such as walking to the bathroom, doing the laundry or any other repetitive task in life. I remember hearing Steven Curtis Chapman talking about a mindset shift he made when he was taking out puppies that his kids wanted but ignored. He was stuck with the in and out potty breaks that a puppy requires. Instead of focusing on the frolic and fun of the puppies, he was focusing on the lazy kids and his need to get up at all hours and get them out into the cold. He was not mindful in the moment. When he realized this, his attitude shifted. He could be mindful in these small moments, taking care of the puppies his family was stewarded with. Watching how funny they were and seeing the joy they brought to him. He was able to turn his attention to the wonder of the puppies God created and it gave this mundane chore a new perspective when doing daily chores. He speaks of this is his song “Do Everything” about how mom’s can lose it sweeping up Cheerios that got away. Matching socks and cleaning up toys.
Here are some additional verses to become more mindful of how God’s Word can calm our minds when we focus on Him (meditate) and are mindful of His constant presence in our lives. These verses were taken from Focus on the Family, Mindfulness: A Christian Approach.
The apostle Paul reminds Christians that they’re called to be mindful and live with an awareness of the present (Philippians 2:1-5).
Prayer is one very practical way Christians apply mindfulness to daily life (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Meditation appears in the Bible in the context of spending time studying the Word of God (Psalm 48:9; Psalm 63:6).
We should look to Jesus and think about true, admirable things (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 4:8).
Christians shouldn’t let themselves to be distracted by worry about the future (Matthew 6:25-34).
Scripture teaches us to “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Paul tells us to “be transformed” by renewing our minds (Romans 12:2) and to practice God-honoring thoughts (Philippians 4:9).
Take time to be still! Read His Word, connect with Him and then stay and listen for His response. If you leave His presence too early, you’ll miss it. Be mindful of His voice all day, and in every circumstance.