Mindfulness in Action

Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.  1 John 3:18 (HCSB)

Awareness of others will lead to mindfulness in action as the Holy Spirit makes us aware of others needs.  I believe that in Christian fellowship and relationship God desires that we focus on our own character (awareness of self) and others needs (awareness of others). 

In order to meet the needs of others it requires that we become aware of those needs.  We have to look and see what the needs are.  This also requires a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit will prompt you to others' needs that you might otherwise not be aware of.  This type of awareness requires a high level of responsibility though.  We cannot "love in word or speech," we must love "in truth and action." 

There are three important elements of effective action.  First actions have to based in sincerity, purity and grace.  Second, the primary motivation for our action is love.  Finally, fulfilling God's purpose in our life will lead to effectiveness. 

Sincerity, Purity, and Grace

For this is our confidence: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly wisdom but by God's grace.  2 Cor 1:12 (HCSB)

In the DBT literature "Wisemind" is the integration of emotional experience and logical analysis to develop "intuitive knowing."  The goal of wisemind is to achieve a balance of feeling and reasoning to achieve this wisemind state.  Wisemind is often experienced in the as a sensation in the gut.  Wisemind is not Christian mindfulness.  Wisemind is inward "fleshly wisdom."  This can be dangerous for the Christian because "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh (Romans 7:18)."  Wisemind can (for the Christian) lead them away from "God's Grace"  I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with intuition or gut reactions.  The Bible has many examples of these type of experiences.  What I am saying is that relying on these reactions of "intuitive knowing" can lead to serious error and must be subjected to God and His Holy Spirit.

So what is Christian mindfulness in this respect then?  First it lies within our conscience.  God has given all humanity a moral sense that is called conscience.  When your conscience is filled with God-given sincerity, purity, and grace then it is a reliable source of intuitive knowing.  Note the source though.  It is God given.  It is His gift.  In Eastern mindfulness the source is within in a person, in Christian mindfulness the source is God. 

Sincerity is the singleness of purpose.  In this case the best interest of others.  We often do not mind engaging in seemingly altruistic behavior as long as there is a benefit for us.  This is a dual purpose and does not have a singleness of purpose that is captured by sincerity.  At its root effective action for the Christian is acting without regard for any ulterior motive.  This can be hard to do but it is essential for effective action.

Purity is similar.  It is acting genuinely.  Your motives and interests are apparent clearly understood by others.  There is no hidden agenda that you have.  You are acting above board.  This effective action allows you to put energy into the action over trying to keep your true interests and self hidden. 

Grace involves invoking God's favor for you and then turning His grace into your relationships with others.  You become a vessel or channel through which God's grace flowing to you, though you, into the lives of others.  God's grace is effective.  If you want to have effective action in your life then you have to allow His Grace to flow through your actions. 

Motivated by Love

Righteous Father! The world has not known You. However, I have known You, and these have known that You sent Me.  I made Your name known to them and will make it known, so the love You have loved Me with may be in them and I may be in them.  John 17:25-26 (HCSB)

There is enough material on the subject of love in the Bible to blog on the rest of my life.  Suffice it to say love is a very important subject.  Effective action is motivated by love.  1 Corinthians 13 has been called the love chapter.  I encourage you to look at the whole passage (Here is a blog on the subject).  I want to zero in on verse 7 as this verse to me gives the fuel to effective action.

[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Cor 13:7 (HCSB)

When we bear all things it requires in my estimation that we receive it from God.  That is not to say that God is the author of our suffering (remember Job), but that He is the Redeemer of our suffering.  God can take any event in our life good or bad and turn it into a blessing.  Do you believe that?  In this case effective action bears others in love.  Even when our flesh tells us to take revenge or to give up.  Notice the difference between what we tend to do (I put up with them) and what this verse says (I carry them). 

Believing all things is not the same as being blissfully ignorant.  It is an attitude that holds others in positive regard and sees their expressed thoughts, feelings, and beliefs as honest and reasonable representation of their true thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.  There is something that is incredibly validating when someone believes not just in your words, but in you as a person.  When a person can look at your shortcomings and still hold you up as worthy of their love, that is believing all things. 

Hope.  Without hope effective action becomes meaningless.  Hope brings meaning and purpose to our lives and to our action. 

Endurance of both things that are happening to you as well as completing the task before you are needed for effective action.  Endurance requires a certain degree of flexibility.  Without flexibility things break (ie they do not endure under the pressure). 

Fulfilling God's Purpose

Carry one another's burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Gal 6:2 (HCSB)

It is no accident that fulfilling the law of Christ is closely aligned with love.  Christ died for sinful humanity that he might bear our sin and remove our guilt.  We ought to die to self that we might bear another's burden and gently restore him/her to God.  This is "Christian" effectiveness.  It is easy to contrast with the opposite attitude which is unhelpful, harsh, punitive, judgment.  Generally speaking this sort of attitude pushes people away and does not lead them to repentance.  That is to say it is ineffective. 

 

There is much more I could write about effective action, but this post is long enough as it is.  So perhaps the Lord will allow me to come back to this subject in the near future.  God Bless you all.  I believe that you can be effective in what you do informed by God's word, empowered by His Spirit. 

Awareness of Others (Non Judgmental?)

 

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Matt 12:33 (HCSB)

One of the contrasts between eastern mindfulness and Christian mindfulness becomes very apparent the area of our awareness of others.  In Eastern mindfulness (and DBT) the tradition is to approach this awareness the instruction is to be Non-Judgmental.  Christian mindfulness teaches a different type of awareness that involves discernment.  I believe that this distinction is very important and would be one of the key differences between the two.  Someone might suggest, "but doesn't the Bible teach us not to judge others."  People in this camp will often quote   Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, so that you won't be judged."  On the surface this seems like it is in agreement with the eastern tradition, but unfortunately it takes the verse out of context.  Looking at this passage will be useful in understanding Christian mindfulness and awareness of others. 

Why do you look at the sawdust in your brother's eye when you have a 2x4 sticking out of your own eye?  You Hypocrite first take the 2x4 out of your eye and then you will be able to help your brother take the sawdust out of his eye.  (My translation)

In this passage Jesus is saying not to judge others until you have become aware of your own faults and dealt with them first.  Interestingly "the other" in this passage has the same fault (sawdust) in a smaller degree than the one judging (plank of wood).  Awareness of others then proceeds from self-examination, awareness of self, effectively dealing with your own shortcomings.  Our own thoughts, ideas, feelings, prejudices tend to color our awareness of others.  After self-awareness, Other-awareness becomes clearer and more effective.  That is Jesus' central teaching of this passage.   

Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.  You'll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.  A good tree can't produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.  Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  So you'll recognize them by their fruit." Matt 7:15-20 (HCSB)

This teaching is in the same sermon as the statement "Don't Judge" giving further credence to the notion that Jesus was not teaching Eastern Non-Judgment.  We need to be aware of other's fruit.  This means looking beyond what they are saying to see what they are doing.  Listen to there actions over their words. 

Research has shown that 55% of communication is non-verbal and as high as 93% when examining the feeling state of a person.  Awareness of a persons non-verbal actions is a key to understanding others.  This fact points to the relative weakness of electronic communication to face to face communication.    It also points to the importance of being aware of others nonverbal cues. 

Awareness of others also requires an open mind.  It is possible to be "so discerning" (legalistic judgmentalism) as to close your awareness of others off.  This happens when our own thoughts, feelings, and opinions become priority over hearing and understanding others or awareness of God.  We must resist jumping to conclusions if we are to be aware of others.  Consider the Bible's definition of "open mindedness."

The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.  Acts 17:11-12 (HCSB)

Open-mindedness is three steps: willingness to listen, eagerness to understand the message, and then examine by the Spirit (using God's Word as the standard).   Often our awareness of others breaks down in one of these three steps.  This also is quite a bit different from the Eastern Non-Judgmental Open-mindedness that has come to dominate the definition of "having an open mind" in our culture. 

Listening requires that we are paying attention.  To be aware of others your attention must be directed toward that person.  This requires focus and elimination of distractions.  When we fail to focus or if there are too many distractions then awareness of others can be seriously inhibited. 

Eagerness to understand requires that we "get it."  I call it the "I get it" factor.  A question that I often ask myself is, "Does what this person just said (or doing) to me make sense?"  If I answer the question "no" then clearly I have not understood him/her.  My goal then is to spend more time listening actively and possibly asking a question or two to clear up my misunderstanding.  To be clear understanding someone is not the same as agreeing with them.  Discernment is the last step in open-mindedness.  You cannot test what you do not understand.  Nor can you be aware of what you do not understand.  Understanding is another key to other awareness. 

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God...  1 John 4:1 (HCSB)

Examine by the Spirit is much more difficult to describe.  I will talk more about the role of the Spirit in Mindfulness in a later post.  We often judge by our own standard and our own understanding.  This is a natural act of the will.   Spiritual discernment though requires engaging the Spirit of God in some manner.  Prayer, Bible Reading (as in this passage), meditation, setting your mind on the Spirit, and other spiritual disciplines are the ways to examine.  In short God's Spirit helps us to examine and God's word gives us the standard.

By practicing self-awareness proceeding other awareness, paying attention to fruit (listening to actions), and applying Biblical "open-mindedness" then we can greatly increase our awareness of others. 

Defining "Christian Mindfulness"

Image by TW Collins via Flickr

"... he who is spiritual appraises all things..." 1 Cor 2:15 (NASB)

Imagine that I invited you to worship and told you that I was going to pick you up in my car.  You would not necessarily care what the make and model of my car was, but rather where we were going to worship.  Using this analogy mindfulness is the vehicle that takes us to greater awareness and connection to the object of our worship and the world around us.  There are some distinctions between eastern mindfulness and Christian mindfulness which I will do my best to point out.  Just as prayer and meditation are a part of other world religions, I believe mindfulness legitimately holds a place as a mode of worship within the Christian faith.

Christian Mindfulness at its core is contemplative awareness by the Spirit (note: links to Scripture references).   This is contrasted with Eastern mindfulness which is non-judgmental awareness.  Contemplation is an act of the will which requires that we be fully engaged in the present moment and dependent on God's Holy Spirit, not passively experiencing the moment as eastern thought would suggest.  Contemplation is where what we know meets what we experience.  It is the process of wisdom. 

Mindfulness for the Christian necessarily involves some level understanding of the scriptures.  Without scripture our knowingness is based on experience and feelings which can lead to all sort of problems.  In order to grow in Christian mindfulness a person must develop a habit of regular meditative study of God's Holy Word.  It is His Word that makes mindfulness "Christian."  Mindfulness is a type of worship  and His Word will lead you to worship Him.  Absent of this your worship and mind will be directed at some other object (this can easily become idolatry).  Perhaps this is why we see many objects of worship (Idols) in the eastern traditions. 

Mindfulness as we already mentioned is awareness.  This is an awareness of God, others, and surroundings.  This awareness is much deeper than knowing these objects exist or are there.  This mindful awareness occurs when there is a deeper connection to the thing that one is becoming aware of.  There is a danger (especially with awareness of God) of knowing about something without knowing it.  This level of awareness is knowing the thing that you are being mindful of (intimacy).  When we know about God we are studying some theological truth;  on the other hand when we know God we experience the riches of His wisdom and the Glory of his presence.  It is the deeper sense of knowing that is mindfulness.

Mindfulness is acting out of intention rather that reaction to the world around you.  We have integrity in what we know, say, and do.  It is an acting out of God's love for you and others.  It is fulfilling moment by moment the purpose that God has for you.  It is acting without ulterior motives, but out of sincerity of heart.

Mindfulness is being filled.  This is a sharp contrast from eastern mindfulness which teaches emptying.  Emptiness is not a virtue in the Bible.  Emptiness is consistently pointed out as a danger.  So then for the Christian mindfulness is being filled with the things of God as you go through your day.  First and foremost it is being filled with the Spirit.  Then God's love and grace.  The list goes on and on as to what can fill you.  This filling comes from the Word of God and the things that he reveals to you through study, prayer, and meditation, so that is a good place to start.  Note: any meditative practice that teaches you to empty should be a red flag.  This is not Christian and can be quite dangerous in light of God's Word.

Mindfulness is the peace and contentment of God.  It is a quietness of soul that allows you to face uncertain circumstances.  It is the time when you stop wrestling with life and quietly accept the peace that God desires to give you.  It is a joy that is present regardless of external circumstances. 

Mindfulness is unreservedly giving yourself to the will of God.  Most people think of God's will as something that He wants them to do some day.  Mindfulness is accomplishing the will of God in this moment.  It is forgetting what is behind, it is letting go of future worries, and living for God in the present.  Often we imagine ourselves doing some great thing for God.  We plan on doing it "someday."  Unfortunately someday never comes for most of us and the ideas of fancy never become reality.  Mindfulness allows us to accomplish the will of God in the present moment.  At this moment you are accomplishing the will of God if you are willing.

Christian Mindfulness necessarily involves knowing Christ.  It is hearing His voice.  It is being identified with Him, His power, His ministry, and His purpose.  It is placing your faith in Him and understanding the power of His resurrection.  Interestingly it is actively striving to take hold of what God has given you.  This striving continues as long as you continue to live.  Striving is contrasted with "letting go" concept in eastern thought. 

Christian Mindfulness is Spirit Mindedness.  Romans 8 has the best description of this that I have found.  Understanding this passage of the Bible will help you grow in this area if you study it and meditate on it day by day.  Essentially Spirit mindedness is setting the mind on the Holy Spirit of God.   Contrasted with eastern thought on mindfulness which involves emptying the mind with the goal of unconditioned perfection and transcendent happiness, Christian mindfulness finds joy when the mind is set on (and dependent on) the Spirit and puts to death the things of the flesh. When cultivated this Spirit mindedness becomes moment by moment awareness of God's Holy presence and acting out of faith.  In this way Christian mindfulness comes full circle with greater (spiritual) awareness leading to increased awareness of God's Holy Spirit, leading to stronger faith, leading to increased action based on this faith, leading to greater awareness.  This process is ever growing and will become a completed work in heaven. 

Christian Mindfulness is deeper awareness of the world around you and what God is doing in you and in your surroundings;  then you taking intentional action based on faith in God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. 

 

Next Topic "Being Unmindful"

Christian Mindfulness

I am going to start a series of posts on the subject of Mindfulness. This started nearly a decade ago when I was at a training for Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT is a treatment approach dealing with people who have identities that are forever seeking validation in unhealthy ways. The core of DBT has the concept of mindfulness. This mindfulness is steeped in eastern thought and religion. This is not explicit to the therapy itself, but is readily recognized in the referenced and supporting literature. For the Christian adhering traditional faith this presents some problems. As it did for me as I went through the training. I came to a place where I accepted the technology of DBT, but kept its spiritual underpinnings at an arms distance.

This seemed to work for a few years. DBT has proven to be very useful in treating some fairly serious emotional and behavioral issues for clients that I have met with. In fact there is a growing body of literature that indicates that mindfulness is a powerful tool in addressing the dividedness of mind and emotional reactivity that tends to plague those suffering from mental illness.

Every time I come to this issue of mindfulness I felt deeper conviction against the philosophical and religious underpinnings. So there I was stuck between something that works and conviction that it was unchristian at best and antichristian at worst. I shared this dilemma with some trusted colleagues. One said, "BJ I think that was has happened is that Buddhists have tapped into something that is built into the way that God has made us." This interesting insight along with some encouragement from others led me to keep pressing on.

I did some research into the concept of "Christian Mindfulness" and became disappointed. There are many interesting ideas about Christian Mindfulness, but it seems that whenever I dug deeper that I ended up with "baptized Buddhism" or Christianized eastern meditations. Frankly this was very unsatisfying to me. I also was not interested in blending. This concept of blending is abhorrent to Yahweh (Lord God). So I was faced with the very real possibility of throwing it all away.

I recall praying to God asking Him (in earnest) "God if there is a Christian mindfulness please show me." Immediately several Psalms came to mind.

I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well. Psalms 139:14 (HCSB)

Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of Yahweh, for He commanded, and they were created. Psalms 148:3-5 (HCSB)

Praise the Lord from the earth, all sea monsters and ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and cloud, powerful wind that executes His command, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, creatures that crawl and flying birds, Psalms 148:7-10 (HCSB)

The trees of the Lord flourish, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork makes its home in the pine trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for hyraxes.
He made the moon to mark the festivals; the sun knows when to set. You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals stir. The young lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises; they go back and lie down in their dens. Psalms 104:16-22 (HCSB)

In that moment I knew that God had shown me several things. First there is "Christian Mindfulness." Second, many of the Psalms are personal mindful reflections of a spiritually minded person inspired by God. Third, this type of thinking leads us into worship and appreciation of God and His divine attributes. Forth, mindfulness (in Biblical form) is far from being ungodly, but can actually deepen our connection with God.

In response to what God had shown me I dutifully thanked Him for what He had given to me. Yet He was not yet done. I packed up my stuff and walked to my car. As got near to my car I noticed a small tree. This may seem insignificant, but I had been parking by that tree for several months now and I had never noticed it before. Interesting to me I had used mindfulness as a technology for helping people and all the while lacking mindfulness in the simple activity of walking from my car to my office for months. Yet when I approached God and asked Him to show me mindfulness for the Christian He gave me the knowledge and then proceeded to give me the experience of mindfulness. At that moment I wondered how many other things I had missed along the way, but not wanting to live in the past I thanked God for that moment and committed to better understand "Christian Mindfulness."

In the next posts I will share with you what I have learned and more importantly what God has shown me over the last several months.

Next Post Defining "Christian Mindfulness"