Is Mindfulness Christian?

In recent decades, some Christians took a stand against the practice of yoga, because of its connections to Eastern religion. But as yoga was embraced in mainstream culture, many found the restful practice to provide both pain and stress relief in a challenging world (Yoga has been a great help in my own battles with anxiety and back pain). Many believers discovered that yoga can be a tool that positively impacts our health in a way that can reinforce rather than undermine our spiritual beliefs. Who created the body, afterall? Who commanded us to stop working and rest? And who hardwired the human frame to release physiological tension and flush toxins through basic movements and breathing techniques?

Nowadays, the scientific and therapeutic communities seem to be in agreement regarding the concept of mindfulness, and somewhat predictably, we've heard a chorus of concern from some of my Christian colleagues. Like yoga, mindfulness can be linked to Eastern religious thought, but here again, the principles of mindfulness training can be applied and enjoyed regardless of religious views.

So to put it bluntly: Is mindfulness Christian?

As a “church-planter,” I share a bond with the Apostle Paul, who birthed countless new congregations across and beyond Asia Minor. I know something of the isolation, anxiety, and fear that can take hold in this painstaking work, and how hard it can be to keep a positive state of mind. As I’ve familiarized myself with the concept of mindfulness, I’ve discovered Paul’s secret to sanity and success—He focused his mind on the good so that challenges didn't crush his spirit.

In writing a letter to a church that was riddled by selfish ambition and internal conflict, Paul opens in the following manner:

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus (Philippians 1:3-6, NRSV).

Notice what he’s doing here. Paul could have opened with a list of their selfish behaviors, but that’s not what he chooses to dwell on. Indeed, had Paul hyper-focused on problems in a church that he started, he would likely have felt like a failure. So instead, Paul reveals his tendency to keep mindful of the good. At the very least, members of this beautiful-yet-broken community had stuck together from the beginning. They’ve shared in Paul’s gospel and protected one another from isolation. And best of all, Paul writes, God is the one who is responsible for carrying them over the finish line, not Paul. God himself will finish the work that he started in them, so that even their flaws remind Paul of that for which he can be grateful—a God who finishes what He starts.

Later in the same letter, Paul calls the Philippians to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4) and to turn from anxiety by presenting their requests to God with thanksgiving (v. 6). As they do so, Paul says, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (v. 7).

Unfortunately, many Christians were taught to restrict our prayers to petitions, which keeps us focused on what we want but do not have. But here, Paul warns us not to do so without thanksgiving, being mindful of the glories, gifts and blessings that we already have.

Paul further clarifies the mindful path to peace:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things... And the God of peace will be with you (v. 8-9).

Biblically-speaking, mindfulness is a commitment to prayerfully transition our anxious minds and negative thoughts toward that for which we can give God thanks. The man who wrote the lion’s share of the New Testament strictly adhered to this practice, which enabled him to endure incredible hardships while inspiring countless believers to do the same.

Look no further than Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthian church to see the most pronounced example of his mindful faith amidst suffering:

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you (2 Corinthians 4:7-12, NIV).

Are you feeling hard-pressed? Be thankful that you’re not crushed. Are you being persecuted? Good news! You’re not forsaken. Far from bland, feel-good clichés, this language represents a powerful instinct to survive and thrive. The pain we face in life can swallow us whole unless we force our minds to celebrate the blessings that would otherwise be eclipsed by our pain.

This is why Paul calls the Colossian church to “keep alert in [prayer] with thanksgiving” (Col 4:2), as prayer can protect us from being lulled into despair by life. It’s why the Prophet Elisha prays that God would open the eyes of his terrified servant, so that the young man could see the army of angels surrounding the human army in front of them (II Kings 6:17-20). It’s why King David faces his current trial by recalling God’s past deliverance (Ps 40:1-3). It’s why Hebrews 11 devotes so much space to the roster of spiritual role models who simply refused to ignore the promises and power of God, no matter what they faced.

The Book of Lamentations may offer the most powerful example of Biblical mindfulness. After giving readers permission to feel and express their pain to God, the author pauses his litany of lament to savor the silver lining:

Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall. My soul still remembers And sinks within me.

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:19-23 (NIV).

The Bible itself ends with a glorious vision of a world without darkness, death, mourning, or pain (Revelation 21:4). While the Book of Revelation vividly portrays the tribulations that will be faced in this life, it declares that God will not stop until his followers find rest in Him.

The key in the meantime, Revelation repeats exactly seven times, is to listen: listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches (2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, and 3:22). Don’t just look at your problems and beg God for help; listen to what God is saying and showing you. Sit in His loving presence. Ponder His blessings and declare Him to be good. Hear His Word and praise Him as wise. Marvel at His creation and enjoy Him as creative. Remember His Son, and declare God to be victorious over sin, death, and the devil.

While mindfulness is not automatically Christian in nature (it can be practiced by anyone), it’s clear to me that Christianity is indeed mindful. Following Jesus Christ requires that we shift our focus toward the good things that we already have in Jesus, so that disappointment doesn’t monopolize our attention.

Or as a mindful believer once said:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1, NIV).