Word for Word
by Pastor Kim Gates
St. Paul's & Forest Mills United Methodist Churches
The days are getting shorter as the year 2015 winds down. Have you noticed? The leaves have changed color or completely disappeared from the trees. Have you noticed? Temperatures fluctuate a great deal more and are overall getting colder. Have you noticed?
How often do we go about daily life and never take time to notice how God is at work all around us? In over 2000 years of Christendom, we’ve lost the art of ‘mindfulness’ that draw our attention to God and modern culture has snarfed it up! However, it has become an exercise in focusing on the self’s internal and external experience of “the present” rather than on a combination of self and God awareness in the moment.
Regardless, mindfulness takes intentionality. Mindfulness takes time! We have to intentionally take a “time out” to stop the busyness of life to focus on what is going on inside so we can truly experience and engage with where God is working in and through things outside of us. Being mindful opens you to thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad which may give you some insight as to why you react to people and events the way you do - and how that compares to WWJD (what would Jesus do). It may open you to truly engaging in the enjoyment of playing with a grandchild or playing football, reading a devotional, or watching the sunrise/set before moving on to the next activity/busyness on your list of things to do today! Mindfulness with God at the center enriches life!
Jesus often took a “time out” (Luke 6:12; Luke 9:18; John 17) to pray and engage in focusing on the relationship between himself and His “Father in Heaven.” If it was good enough for Jesus to slow down and take a moment to ponder and meditate on His life, it surely must be a good thing for those of us who proclaim to be His disciples/followers! So take a few minutes to sit on a bench and FEEL the autumn breeze swirling around you, breath in the experience and observe where it takes you. Pause a few minutes to listen to the laughter and shouts of kids on the school playground, HEAR their youth and see where it takes you. Set your alarm 10 to 15 minutes early so you can sit with a piece of scripture to read before dashing off to work, SEE the words, and notice where they take you.
In this land of plenty and bountiful harvest, may you find that taking time to fill yourself inside with awareness and understanding is more fulfilling than amassing “things” or filling every waking moment with activities. By being mindful, may you discover that there is plenty of time for all the most important people and relationships and “things to do” and that you truly enjoy and savor every moment.
If you are interested in mindfulness techniques and other meditative activities talk with your pastor. If you don’t have a pastor, there are a number of clergy in the Allamakee Clergy Association who would love to share time with you in conversation! Look in the yellow pages in an old fashioned phone book or go on line to find the number of a church/clergy near you!
http://www.christianpsych.org/wp_scp/mindfulness-and-christian-devotiona...
https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/mindfulness
