Sit comfortably in a quiet place. Breathe in deeply, count 1, then release. Repeat until all stress is gone and you are refreshed.
Is mindfulness pop psychology? My medical (IPO) sent me a slickly designed card with a handy card containing a mindfulness prompt to relieve stress.
There are countless coloring books for adults (in paper and app) with intricate designs where we can color between the lines, and take our minds off our daily problems. Their repetitiveness and simplicity are soothing and calming.
It is “mindfulness” because the mind is deliberately focused on the one task to the exclusion of other things. We escape for a time into a simpler life where we withdraw from life’s insistent demands into a safe place.
Does it work? It works ‘as intended’ because there is a deeper truth behind it, a hidden principle of which today’s mindfulness contains but a shadow.
First, consider the promise: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives, give I to you.” Jesus said these words to men who were hurt when Jesus said He was leaving them. In the past, I have put the emphasis on “peace” when reading this passage, but now I am wiser. The emphasis is on the “I” and “My.” Jesus will do what the world cannot do. The Prince of Peace will bring a peace that pop psychology can’t. The Lord Who Heals will do a deeper work than yoga and New Age meditation can reach.
Through the power of His resurrection, the disciples will find a peace greater than the world can give. Their peace will be anchored in something that will transcend all the travails of this life. “This too shall pass,” we say; but the life He gives during and afterward is everlasting. He has beaten death.
The Bible is God’s word to us. It contains the Creator’s instructions to His creation on how to operate in this world successfully. We were not made to live apart from Him. Our minds were not designed to be at peace when excluding God. Does our marriage improve if we ignore our spouse? The scriptures teach us to be mindful of Him.
One of my memory verses is from Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is fixed on You because he trusts in You.” God’s way of true peace is for us to take the time to learn of Him to the point where we finally trust Him and rest in that place, knowing that He’s got this; He’s got our back; this situation is not out of His control; He can use even this to fulfill His plan in my life. The peace we gain with Him includes security for now and assurance for the future.
“And we know that all things are working together for good, to those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). This declaration of peace and assurance in a world gone crazy, in a life out of control, comes from setting the mind repeatedly to learn of Christ and apply the knowledge to how we live.
Morning by morning we set our minds on the God who demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son to die for sinners. Is there a greater foundation of peace than God’s lasting love for us? “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you.” We set our mind on that morning’s truth, carrying that thought with us as a shield against the fiery arrows that will be hurled against us for that day. Tomorrow, we do it again. We enter into greater peace as we mend our relationship with God, not break it.
Settling our mind on the truths of the scriptures, we are “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Do these frantic or depressing thoughts match what Jesus thought, who was obedient to the loving Father at all times? If not, cut off that line of thinking. Recall that we were made for a higher life and grander purpose. Recall the Spirit-taught truths you gained earlier.
The all-wise God calls us to fill our minds with grander themes than coloring books give us. I am made in the image of God. I am a dwelling place for God in the Spirit. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and I am complete in Him. I am made for His glory. God lives in me. God uses me as His hands, feet, and mouth to help others.
Surrender anew to the Lord. Use your mind to focus on Him. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing songs” (James 5:13). Focus on Him, not your breath.
Our minds are not ours to waste. “You have the mind of Christ.” After spending several chapters chronicling the surpassing greatness of our salvation and the keeping power of God, Paul begs us to surrender to the Lord as living sacrifices, and “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).
The world’s methods of mindfulness often serve only to leech out every thought of God — and the true power He gives us to overcome the world’s stresses. There is no substitute for the words and the Person God gave us.
