What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment in a nonjudgmental way. So what is Christian mindfulness? Christian mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment nonjudgmentally from a place of Christ-centeredness. The center is the place of origin around which everything revolves. The center establishes focus and allows us to see what is happening even if we disagree with a situation. Hence, as we see life as is, we are rooted and supported in Christ, especially in times of crisis and transition. The Christ-centered position serves as an anchor. Being heavenly-oriented, on the other hand, may leave us out of touch with reality, or looking for a way out.
Heavenly Oriented
That was me about 20 years ago. When I left teaching and relocated, I was shocked to find myself a lost ship, tossing upon the sea. I had yet to plan my future or know what was next after teaching. My crisis happened before the popularization of wellbeing coaches, which I sure needed. I felt someone had pulled the rug from under me. Without the title of the school teacher, who was I? What was I going to do now with my“one wild and precious life” as the poet Mary Oliver asked in her poem? This was a landmark occasion for me that left me feeling utterly lost. Indeed, heaven would be a better place to be than trying to figure out what to do with my wild and precious life. Thankfully, I did figure it out, and continue to figure it out.
Christian Mindfulness
Each day God gives me beautiful signs, if I am paying attention. Nature is my favorite place to experience these love messages from God. I look through the window and there is a pair of cardinals. the male cardinal is vibrant in red which catches my eye. Then I notice the female nearby, with brownish, warm reddish hues. I had just finished an assignment for my group coaching class on aloneness. I smiled, understanding how God was expressing His love to me. That He is with me and that I am not alone.
That’s why my favorite time of year is spring and early summer. Gardening is experiencing Christ in nature. The planting of seeds is a reminder of the fruitfulness that will come. I know my plants will grow and bear their fruits or flowers. Sometimes I remove my gardening gloves and touch the earth to feel its softness and oneness. The seed must die to bring forth its fruit. Nature understands, and she produces, honoring her rhythm.
Know That Your Work Makes A Difference
Each one of us is a seed. No matter how small we are as a seed, we can make a difference in the quality of life around us. We do not have to become celebrities or social media influencers, we can make a difference in the kindness and compassion we show others. Our acts of goodness can grow like a tree that can provide shade on hot days or a nesting spot for those who need to find a safe place. It takes faith to believe our acts of goodness are making an impact when we do not see it.
Your effect is eternal.
But more significantly, our faith tells us that even when we go to that “city which has fixed and firm foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God” (Hebrews 11: 10), the work we do now will continue to produce fruit. In essence, our lives will continue to touch others in the present. So, let’s not be afraid to embrace our mortality by living fully in the present. This theme is captured in Mary Oliver’s poem “The Summer Day”:
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
I plan to pay attention to see the beauty of God all around me. And I plan to live fully today for the sake of eternity.
