Mindful: Meditate & Color Your Way to Life-Giving Relationships was launched about a month ago. But before you click over and take a look, I wanted to share 3 surprising things you should know first. Meditation is a long-standing Christian tradition; current neuroscience proves it is just as healthy for our brains as God’s word claims; and it’s not complex or weird at all.

Is Meditation Christian?

In Christian circles, the word meditation has a dubious reputation because of its ties to Eastern religion. Many shy away from the concept because it feels like Hinduism. In fact, in 1977, the US District Court in Newark, New Jersey ruled that Transcendental Meditation (TM) was indeed a Hindu religion and not a secular discipline. Christian meditation does differ very significantly from TM, and here are some of the differences.

Tenants of Eastern Meditation

• The focus is on emptying the mind.
• It’s a discipline of detaching from everything.
• In TM, you are to visualize your own reality.
• It’s metaphysical union with ‘god.’
• The practice is an inner journey to find the center of your being.
• The goal is mystical transport.

Tenants of Christian Meditation

• The focus is on filling the mind with God’s word.
• It’s a discipline of attaching to God.
• In Christian Meditation, you are to visualize the reality already created by God.
• It’s spiritual communion with God.
• The practice is an outward focus on the presence of God.
• The goal is moral, emotional, intellectual transformation.

Scripture about Meditation

In the Old Testament, the word meditation comes from one of two Hebrew words. Haga is to utter, groan, meditate, or ponder. Sihach is to muse, rehearse in one’s mind, or contemplate. There are lots of Scripture passages that instruct us to meditate, think, and reflect. Joshua 1:8 is one of the best well known-“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Psalm 119, the longest Psalm, has many references to meditation. “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways,” just one example in verse 15. In the New Testament, Hebrews 4:12 reveals the nature of God’s word to be so powerful that just meditating on it can bring a personal awareness of our wrong thinking or attitudes. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

In an interesting article from the website, All About God, it mentions that we are actually commanded to meditate.

Is Meditation Healthy?

There is a growing volume of evidence that meditation is very healthy for our brains. In a 2011 study at Harvard, subjects meditated for 27 minutes a day for 8 weeks. Before and after brain scans showed the areas of self-awareness and compassion grew during that study. The areas of the brain associated with stress shrank.

Meditators are known to have quieter areas of the brain known to be associated with thinking about themselves, their past (focusing on guilt and shame), and their future (focusing on worry). It’s not that we should ignore the past or the future, but we live in the present, and God speaks to us in the present. Timothy Keller, in his book The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, writes that true joy comes not from thinking more of ourselves or less or ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. This is the mark of maturity in the Christian faith. And neuroscience confirms that it is achieved by meditation.

Researchers have studied meditation to help those suffering from depression and anxiety. Some studies have actually shown it is as effective as medication. In 2004 on the Good Morning America show, reporter Dan Harris had his most embarrassing moment. In front of 5 million viewers, he suffered a full blown anxiety attack, seen in this YouTube video. That horrible experience launched Dan into a search for healing that brought him to meditation. He wrote a book about it from a secular standpoint, 10 Percent Happier. He learned how to quiet the self-defeating voices in his head that he wasn’t good enough. His research transported him to a healthy life and launched him on a new trajectory of helping others overcome anxiety. WebMD has an article about defeating depression and anxiety using meditation.

Early-warning System for Stinkin’ Thinkin’

God created us, and He wired us to respond physically to stress in ways that He hopes will alert us that we are thinking wrong. We feel the effects in our bodies of believing lies that we are not good enough, that we are not worthy, and that God doesn’t care about us. Those are all lies that our enemy wants us to believe, and they make us feel bad by causing stress. When we ruminate about these self-defeating thoughts, adrenaline and cortisol are coursing through our bodies, over time creating havoc. But God’s word names many benefits of right thinking. From the standpoint of neuroscience, positive thinking produces hormones in our bodies that heal and make us feel great. Isn’t it awesome that God wired us with a built-in early-warning system to tell us our thinking is wrong?

[Tweet “If only we would listen when our bodies tell us our thinkin’ is stinkin’.”]

Effects of Wrong Thinking

• “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3).
• “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).
• “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Is Meditation Complex and Weird?

Meditation isn’t any more complex than having coffee with a fascinating person. It’s not weird at all. In fact, you probably have been meditating for most of your life, and you didn’t realize it.

[Tweet “”If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate.” Rick Warren”]

Tips to Make Meditation Simple and Doable

There are many ways to meditate, and many techniques that I have used to help me stay focused. I have a very active brain, it often wanders when I’m in my prayer chair! Here are some techniques that help me stay on track.

• Engage my sense of hearing. I often use a sound app on my phone while I’m meditating. I love the sound of a river because the Bible says God’s voice sounds like many waters. It helps me stay in the present as I imagine I’m sitting by the River with Jesus.
• Engage my sense of smell. I love essential oils, and use some of them to keep me awake and aware. Peppermint is especially good for this. If you feel anxious, Lavender can calm you down.
• In the early morning, you will find a cup of coffee in my hand and my Bible on my lap. I love the taste, and the routine settles me in for the work of meditation.
• I have a place to meditate. We have two chairs in our room and that’s where we head first thing in the morning. That’s the place where I meet Jesus. It’s in a small room off our bedroom, which I call my Prayer Tower. Bruce reminds me that it’s not technically a tower because it’s attached to the house. I just ignore him and go on believing it’s a tower! Your place can be anywhere you chose, you don’t need a special room, just a comfortable place.
• I have a pad of paper nearby. In the middle of prayer or listening to God, it’s very common for me to have such thoughts as, “I forgot to get toilet paper yesterday.” I just stop for a moment, jot down the thought and go on. God understands!

Traditions of Meditation

Since the 4th Century AD, the Christian church has had a tradition of meditation. Lectio Divinia is one technique that is actually seeing a resurgence lately. It’s an organized outline that will help you in getting the most from your meditation time. There are four steps to Lectio Divinia.

1. Lectio means reading. It’s slow, deliberate reading of a Bible passage that you will meditate on. Read it more than once if necessary, read it in more than one translation.
2. Meditatio means meditate. Ponder what you read, what’s happening in the scene? Can you picture yourself in the scene? Who would you be? How would the situation affect you? What do the words mean? Look up the Hebrew or Greek meanings of the words to get the full impact.
3. Oratio means prayer. Ask God about this passage, ask Him what He wants you to know about it. Prayer for me is out loud. For those of us who are verbal processors, verbal prayer works great. When I try to pray silently, my mind just flits around! I talk to myself too, full disclosure!
4. Contemplatio means contemplation. This is the time when God gets to talk. They say that in prayer you have to remember He gave you two ears and only one mouth. Time spent with God is like a conversation with your best friend. Don’t monopolize the conversation!

Get started with Mindful Meditation

Hopefully, you are ready to jump in and try meditation. There are no rules, really. Just suggestions to help you get started and to keep it vibrant and real. Visit the Mindful Page for more information, helps, and the current contest, Mindful Meditation.

To enter the contest, simply take a short survey about how you do quiet time (even if you don’t). The winner will be drawn at random on January 11, 2019. They will receive a copy of Mindful.

I will send every entrant a free copy of a mini-ebook called Mindspa: Think Like a Daughter of the King. A great way to get started in being more mindful.

…because U count, deb