Do you know what healthy practice is promoted throughout the Bible but is never explicitly named? Mindfulness.
It can be one of those things that you hear talked about often in Christian and wellness spaces, but you aren’t really sure what it means. Mindfulness is a host of things:
- awareness of one’s self or surroundings
- observing one’s emotions, thoughts and situations
- several practices that promote self awareness (journaling, meditation, prayer, studying, etc.)
The Bible promotes these things. In Psalm 1:1-2, it says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
I think we often – in many Christian communities – think recognizing our minds and bodies is a bad thing. That recognizing the difficult, failing or less-talked-about things is not ok. But, the Bible promotes a far different perspective.
God created our bodies, our minds and our emotions, and He doesn’t want us to run away from these things. In fact, the Psalms are full of followers crying and complaining to God and of followers praising Him. We can do all these things.
Even Jesus practiced mindfulness.
Time and again we see Jesus praying to God (Luke 27:46), weeping with his friends (John 11:1-44), and meditating and depending on God’s Word (Luke 4).
So, it’s safe to assume that practicing Christ-centered mindfulness is a good thing.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to practice mindfulness:
- What is one thing I’m taking with me and one thing I’m leaving behind this (year, month, week, etc.)?
- How does my body feel right now?
- How will I be kind to myself today?
- What emotions am I carrying right now?
Here are some other practices to help you practice mindfulness:
We don’t have to coast through life. We can depend on God to help us be mindful of and grow toward a full life.
