What is Mindful Christianity?

What is Mindful Christianity? September 16, 2018

What is Mindful Christianity? The word mindful has everything to do with waking up living in harmony with you, the world and with God. It has to do with examining who we are 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 actually 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 head 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 kind of attention nurtures a greater awareness of the kingdom of God in the present moment. It focuses on the reality the only moment we have is the present moment. Our life unfolds one moment after another moment, and we miss the fullness of each moment by dwelling on the past or the future in our lives.

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 our self 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 which helps us to learn to live in the fullness of the moment and in 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 to each other and with those around us and to God.

In committing ourselves to pay attention to God, we put our likes and dislikes, opinions and prejudices about everything and everyone into a non-judgmental perspective. In Christ, we have new possibilities to free ourselves from our egos and limited consciousness. We now live above the earthly expectations and prejudices in life with the spiritual awareness of being one in Christ as a new humanity transformed into his image and character. (and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.) Ephesians 4:24 NIV

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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