God is NOT in the habit of getting in line for our attention. But that’s where I put him for many years early in my faith walk. I have NO excuses, but I also know that living in the now with Jesus “first in line” for our attention is tough today as we absorb myriad assaults of sound and sight.
This “in line” thought thread hit me hard over the weekend when I was looking at videos from early in my career as a corporate CEO. While those images captured incredible achievements, they revealed my painful reality at that time–I had a LONG list of things AHEAD of Jesus. Money, mansions, sports cars, and everything associated with that lifestyle.
That hurt a lot, of course. But I quickly focused on the coin’s other side and how it pushed me to change by bringing Jesus to the front of my life’s line. And it also served up an important reminder that preoccupation with the past, fixation on the moment, and paranoia about the future are impossible to carry without missing the river’s soft bend, the ocean’s sunset glimmer, the baby’s innocent smile, and the sun’s glint of light washing our face.
Vacant chanting that detaches us mentally and emotionally from reality may be an effective stress reducer, but it is not mindfulness. It is MINDLESSNESS.
Christian MINDFULLNESS is living in the now with Jesus and paying attention to each moment. Embracing and studying and living out his Word of truth. Finding our life’s purpose and serving others to build his Kingdom.
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Isaiah 40:8
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
As a Christ follower, I am not trying to empty my mind. I am trying to fill it with my pursuit of God. I am trying to connect my deepest sense of self with the Lord of Heaven and earth. I’m trying to trust God to reveal his pathway to the fruits of his spirit.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control…” Galatians 5:22-23
That’s why I ask God to help me live in the now and ignore the tempting off-ramps of life that beckon with their allure. To protect my mind from preoccupation that pushes Jesus to the back of my line for attention and prevents me from focusing on him and how I can serve his Kingdom.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Is Jesus in a long line to see you?
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…” Ephesians 5:15-16
