Mindfulness: a simple change can change your life (and quality of mind)

I was SO not into mindfulness for a while for a couple of reasons. One, I knew there was some fishy stuff to it that don’t line up with my Christian beliefs. Two, I honestly felt like it was boring and too inconsequential for me to be spending time on when my mental health needs were already too urgent. Boy was I wrong, LOL. I’ve come pretty far from those two conclusions, and I wanna share with you now why mindfulness has some basic tenets that are both biblical and widely helpful and effective for bringing clarity, peace, and change to life in a positive way.

Mindfulness, in my opinion, is made so complicated by other people. Basically, it’s about paying attention where you didn’t before. It’s about intentional awareness. There are spiritual practices not in alignment with Christianity that are often used in conjunction with or associated with mindfulness, but those things are not a requirement to become more mindful–and I’d discourage you, for the sake of your spiritual health, from engaging in such things, especially if they concern you. Again, mindfulness is about making the decision to pay more attention and be intentionally aware in ways you never have.

The bible gives us some scriptures that let us see that paying attention to what is going on internally (like mentally, physically, and emotionally) should be a priority of ours. Let me share some of those with you:

“Guard your heart above all else, for out of it flows the issues of life” Proverbs 4:23

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he {or so will he become}.” Proverbs 23:7

“The man who controls his own spirit (self, heart, mind, etc.) is better than he who captures a whole city.” Proverbs 16:32

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

How can you guard your heart if you aren’t even aware of what’s in it? Of what bothers you? Of what ensnares you or how things affect you? Knowing how you feel/think about things and how they impact you is important towards knowing how to effectively guard your heart and what to guard it against.

How can you proactively and assertively shape who you are and your life, as is expected of you with the authority given to you in Jesus Christ, if you are not aware of the thoughts that may be sabotaging you?

Do you know what you are turning into or producing in your life and self (as a man thinketh so is he) or are you blindly and reactively living out life? This would make you an easy target for devilish, demonic interventions.

How can you learn to have dominion and authority over your own spirit/self if you don’t even know the nature or tendencies of yourself and your spirit? You need understanding and knowledge to be an effective leader and steward–that includes being an effective leader and steward of yourself.

How can you cast down vain imaginations and submit your thoughts to Christ if you are not even aware of your thoughts? If they rule you, escape you, or torment you so vaguely and so quickly that you feel you cannot get ahold of them?

Mindfulness is an implied yet effectively powerful concept in scripture, so that we can be full of knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and have proper application of our authority in Christ. How can you effectively solve a problem you do not understand? How do you understand something? You are aware of it, and you gain intel/information of it to use towards your problem solving and strategizing. Otherwise, you may be very foolishly trying to force a nail down with a pair of pliers or trying to fix an emotional issue with substance abuse, just to name a couple examples.

Issues like anxious, depressed, and distorted thinking (whether they are demonically inspired or self-propagating) flourish in a mind/heart that is not aware, that is not mindful. The lack of attention and intention create darkness and chaos within which these pervasive tendencies can run wild and free without challenge and, typically, with barely any resistance. Mindfulness, especially when paired with the word of God, causes the light to shine on the self and the inner being so that the problems can be identified, understood, and solved.

Resonate with the content of this post? Do you often feel like a prisoner of your own mind/thoughts/emotions? Are you dealing with some difficulty emotionally or in life but not really sure what the problem really is or how to get a handle on it?

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Xo, Coach Marie