you might know people who are practicing mindfulness to help them navigate the pressures of daily life. so what should christians make of the mindfulness trend? mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us (/what-is-mindfulness/). stay present in the moment and focus on what you are thinking and feeling. that is why you will find most religious traditions include meditation as a vital element to living out the tenants of one’s beliefs. in my new book, unstuck: a nine step journey to change that lasts, i walk through nine steps that share some similarities to the steps above with one main difference: the presence of a personal god, who communes with us and redeems us as we are mindful of his presence with us in the moment.
christian mindfulness introduces a vertical dimension: you are paying attention to who god is and your relationship with him through his grace to you in jesus. paul encourages the believers in philippi to be consciously mindful of the present benefits of being united to christ. as we go about our daily lives, with all of the stresses and busyness, we are constantly invited to be mindful of god’s presence with us, his care for us and new power in us that he has provided to face each moment of each day. you might describe this as living with a moment by moment mindfulness of god’s presence with us. you don’t have to call it “mindfulness”, but all christians are called to be mindful—mindful of our unity with christ, and the presence of his spirit. he is the author of several books on christian living including how people change, relationships: a mess worth making and living without worry: how to replace anxiety with peace.
so, naturally, the question is often asked: is it ok for a christian to practice mindfulness? the goal of mindfulness meditation is simply to become more aware of the present. however, there is a way to practice mindfulness while focusing on christ and protecting our mind and spirit. the practice of christian mindfulness has long been known in the church as nepsis or watchfulness, and is closely related to prayer and contemplation. watchfulness is a recognition of and participation in the transformative work of christ.
the goal of watchfulness is not only to be aware of the present moment, but to discern it and to recognize christ’s presence in it. christ is always with us and willing to transform our minds as we go about our day. as the enemy attempts to draw us away from god and into temptation, we learn through watchfulness how to be ready and to respond with prayer in every situation. i’ve been practicing watchfulness for about a year now and it has helped me to both focus in prayer and fight off anxious patterns of thought (though i still have a long way to go in both areas). my hope is that it will resurface as a common spiritual practice in the church. christ is always ready and willing to transform our minds, we just need to take the time to be still and know him.
christian meditation is a form of prayer in which a structured attempt is made to become aware of and reflect upon the revelations of god. the word meditation comes from the latin word meditu0101ru012b, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study, and to practice. christians and many faith-based counselors use mindfulness in a christ-integrated way as a therapy tool. they believe mindfulness can be compatible with a mindfulness exists as a concept within all major world religions, including christianity. the bible consistently exhorts us to exercise disciplined you don’t have to call it “mindfulness”, but all christians are called to be mindful—mindful of our unity with christ, and the presence of his, dangers of mindfulness christian, dangers of mindfulness christian, mindfulness and christian spirituality, mindfulness is not christian, mindfulness and christianity book.
both self-driven mindfulness and christ-driven watchfulness may be practiced while sitting in silence, paying attention to one’s breathing, and 7 simple christian mindfulness exercises 1. ground yourself in the present moment. 2. breathe deeply with a two-word anchor prayer. 3. take a we experiment with a direct awareness of experience in the moment, unfiltered by thoughts and language. christians who practice mindfulness, christian mindfulness pdf, meditation and christianity in conflict.
When you try to get related information on mindfulness and christianity, you may look for related areas. dangers of mindfulness christian, mindfulness and christian spirituality, mindfulness is not christian, mindfulness and christianity book, christian mindfulness pdf, meditation and christianity in conflict.