Your Christian walk involves more than weekly church attendance. It is more than refraining from certain sins. It involves a mindset that calls for trust and awareness. This is part of the principle of Mindfulness. Mindfulness is used both spiritually and in everyday life as a psychological intervention. It is the awareness of one’s inner state (feelings, thoughts) as well as present outer realities. Mindfulness involves conscious effort and awareness in one’s choices and actions. It isn’t something that Christians have to run away from or dismiss as simply a new-age practice.
According to the Mindful Leader, there are seven principles of mindfulness. They are: Non-Judgement, Beginner’s Mind, Trust, Non-Striving, Patience, Acceptance and Letting Go. A look at any one of these principles may recall to a bible reader’s mind a verse or scriptural teaching. In fact, much of the Sermon on the Mount discusses principles now used in mindfulness practice to reduce stress, live presently, and resolve trauma in one’s life. For Christian’s here is a review of God’s word that expounds from a biblical perspective on being present in one’s life, one day at a time.
Mindfulness Meets Biblical Perspective
Learning to be aware of your thoughts and then challenge those thoughts which cause negative mood and behavior is a premise of Paul’s advice at 2 Corinthians 10:5. These could be incorrect thoughts about your worth and God’s view of who you are. Challenge the thought or behavior with what you know of God’s word. Doing this regularly can bring calm and peace of mind as you strive to love God, yourself and your neighbor.
Learning to not worry about the future is a major tenant of what Christ taught. The principle of non-striving is a part of his sermon on the mount. We are not inactive in regard to our daily needs, but we also do not have excessive worry about the next day. Our faith assures us we will have what is necessary to meet the challenges of each day as they come.
Focusing on the goal of eternal life that is before us as Christians include letting go of our past worldly perspective and negative experiences that cause lack of faith, hope and being stuck in unforgiveness. We face the future knowing that we are a new person in Christ and that He will take any necessary action to ensure that all of our experiences are towards are growth and good.
We practice trusting daily. In every trial, we turn to God in prayer asking for His assistance and guidance to make the right choice and take the right action. We know that God can see from a perspective on high that we do not have access to. We can take comfort in knowing that we do not have to understand every aspect of a situation with God as our helper. He will straighten our pathway.
Our Life Becomes One of Action
When we practice mindfulness in our daily Christian walk, we move from a passive mental state to one that is active and aware. We keep our senses; becoming aware of what serves our ability to obey and live in faith as opposed to what distracts. We begin to manage our thoughts and emotions by subjecting them to the knowledge we have in Christ. And we actively trust by knowing our needs for today and tomorrow will be met with God’s power to provide.
This awareness brings us closer to God and to having more presence in our own lives. We can have a richer life experience when we practice the principles of being mindful throughout our day and in our worship of God.
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