Mindfulness is a popular word these days. Did you know that mindfulness has been part of the Christian tradition for centuries? Here are a few of the main strands of Christian mindfulness:
HAVING TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY WHEN YOU RE-FOCUS ON GOD
This can be anything from saying grace before meals to having prayer times morning and evening, or even every few hours!
PRACTISING THE PRESENCE OF GOD
Our aim as Christians is for the times in between our 'prayer times' to be prayerful also. One strand of Christian mindfulness was made famous by someone who lived hundreds of years ago called Brother Lawrence. He was a clumsy cook in a monastery but he was very prayerful. He learnt how to do his tasks in a way that meant he was still attentive to God while doing them. He was mindful of doing his tasks for God and with God. In more recent times Frank Laubach wrote accounts of his experiments with how much of the day he could spend in this kind of Christian mindfulness.
SACRAMENT OF THE PRESENT MOMENT
A sacrament is something 'tangible' that puts us in touch with God in a special way. Jean Pierre Caussade is famous for writing a book about how God is always in the present in a very special way. He writes about being attentive to God in whatever task or situation is right in front of you. In effect he explains that every present moment is a holy moment and a moment for encountering God. He writes about how to live out our ordinary daily lives in light of this.
NOTICING GOD IN YOUR LIFE
One strand of Christian mindfulness is noticing what God is doing in your life. Writing in a journal, having a quiet day or retreat a few times a year, or meeting up with a mature Christian every now and again can all help with noticing what God is doing in you and what God might be saying to you.
MINDFULNESS OF THE PAST DAY
A helpful little spiritual exercise used by many Christians is called the "Examen". It's where at the end of the day you look back over the day with God's help and you notice things about your day. You notice where God blessed you or helped you, you notice where God spoke to you through other people or situations, you notice what your own motives and actions were that day, you notice what you need to work on tomorrow with God's help... You notice all kinds of things as you look back over the day with the help of the Holy Spirit.
MEDITATION & CONTEMPLATION
Here I simply mean 'pondering'.By pondering God's characteristics (God is loving, forgiving, wise...) you become more mindful of the kind of God you are praying to or worshipping. Some people find it helpful to spend time pondering the meaning behind the Holy Communion bread before eating it. That way they eat it more mindfully. Elizabeth of the Trinity was a nun who used to spend a lot of time meditating on how Jesus was living inside her. As a result of this meditating, she was more mindful of Jesus within her as she went about her day.
MINDFULNESS OF OTHERS
This is an important part of Christian mindfulness. Making sure to pray for others regularly keeps us mindful of the needs of others. It's also important that we live in a loving way towards those around us and that we remember that Christianity isn't an individualistic religion. Many church services include 'exchanging a sign of peace' with others which is one little way of being mindful of being part of a body of Christians, not just an individual Christian.
OUTER STILLNESS
Having quieter and more still surroundings can help our Christian mindfulness. Many Christians find it important to have a bit of silence in their day. Having times when we are 'offline' and our phones are out of sight are also part of this outer stillness. It helps us to be more attentive to God.
INNER STILLNESS
This is sometimes called 'recollection'. With practice, even when you are at work or on a bus or walking down the street or in the middle of something at home, you can cultivate an inner quiet and attentiveness to God deep inside you. Inner stillness is also a part of contemplative prayer in which you 'run out of words' and simply sit or kneel in God's presence with a completely quiet mind. Psalm 131 describes this kind of inner stillness.
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These are the main strands of Christian mindfulness. They are all things that will be written about in more detail on this blog.
Which one of these strands of Christian mindfulness most stood out to you when you read this? Can you find posts written on that topic on this blog?