What is Mindful Christianity? The word mindful has everything to do with waking up living in harmony with yourself, the world, and with God. It is the examination of who we are and how we view our world and what is our place in it. It focuses on living each moment in the fullness of what we know as being alive.
It appreciates the Buddhist tradition and the insight of being mindfully awakened to everything around us in the present moment as the word Buddha means the awakened one. The word Christian has to do with being intimately in touch with the living Christ.
From a Christian perspective, we must be honest. We process life like everyone else when it comes to our conscious state of awareness. We know Christ, but thousands of thoughts swirl in our heads every day, keeping us overwhelmed by the mindless reoccurring thoughts and feelings. Mindful Christianity is the practice of waking up from our minds being on autopilot, struggling with our guilt’s fears, and anxieties nearly every moment of the day. Being mindful is being awake and aware of those unconscious and conscious thoughts and how they impact our lives.
Mindful Christianity is the spiritual discipline of paying attention on purpose with the goal of being acutely aware of experiencing Christ’s presence. This attention nurtures a greater awareness of the Kingdom of God in the present. It focuses on the reality the only moment that exists in time is the present moment. Life unfolds one moment after another moment. We miss the fullness of each moment by dwelling on the past or future in our lives. (Mindfulness as a Christ Centered Practice)
When we become mindful of Christ, it helps us to get unstuck on our everyday thoughts and focuses us on how to deal with our relationship with our families and how we cope with ourselves as a person and others in a fearful world. It lets the light of Christ shine into our hearts to reveal his plan and hope in our life.
It is a reality that helps us to learn to live in the fullness of the moment and the presence of God and not to take life for granted. It helps us understand the limited perspective that we have on who we are and what it means to be connected and with those around us and to God.
In committing to focus our attention upon God, we lay down our opinions and prejudices about everything and everyone. In Christ, we can free ourselves from our egos and grow in the knowledge and love of God. We can live with the spiritual awareness of being transformed day by day into the image and character of Christ.
Mindful Christianity is the spiritual discipline of consciously living in Christ. It is waking up and seeing things not as we perceive them, but as Christ sees them. It offers a way of dying to our egos and being aware of our true nature and the freedom to become who God created us to be.
Mindful Christianity is not trying to sell you or impress you on anything. It is a practical way of being more in touch with God with you and with others. It is the journey of becoming fully awake to observe yourself and those around you and take the needed action to be the person God created you to be. Moreover, for the Mindful Christian, there is the hope you will take on the nature of Christ in spirit, soul, and body and live with that awareness each moment and bless everyone around you.
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