Psalm 6:10 “Be still, and know that I am God”
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed upon you.
Romans 12:2 “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
We’ve been looking at the audacity of God in Creation over the past four weeks. You will have noticed the emphasis on “awareness” as we have studied the workings of God in Creation. My tomato bush has been growing on the pavement for a good five months now and the tomatoes for the third crop are looking magnificent, in spite of the heat. Yet many of our residents haven’t noticed it there although they walk right past it.
The reason is simple – their minds are either focused on some past issue that might still be troubling them, or on a future event for which they might need to prepare themselves.
Why so much emphasis on “awareness” or “presence?”
Two reasons. First God is always, and only, ever present in the “now”. God is in each new moment in time. Wishing for God’s presence, talking about God’s presence or even reading about God’s presence, is not a substitute for experiencing God’s presence.
We actually spend most of our waking mental energy either ruminating about things that have already happened (which we can no longer control) or worrying about things that haven’t happened yet (which we also can’t control). When we’re mentally in the past or the future, we create a state for our minds and bodies that isn’t good for us. There’s lots of anxiety, resentment, fear, judgment, and stress.
When we anchor our attention to what’s happening right now, we actually free up a ton of emotional energy. It’s not that every moment is pleasant, but rather that we aren’t compounding the ups and downs of our present reality with the extra suffering of not being in reality.
Once we start to notice the sense of calm and happiness that can arise from mindful presence, it’s clear that being right here, right now is a superpower that lets us become our most peaceful, effective, and caring selves.
Joining our Christian Mindfulness course is one way how to practice presence, deepening your relationship with God while managing anxiety, stress and even depression.