Psalm 8 (emphasis mine)
1 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are
of them, human beings that you care for them?
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! [1]
These days there is so much talk about mindfulness. According to dictionary.com, mindfulness is the state of being aware of something. It is also defined in regard to psychology to be “a technique in which one focuses one’s full attention only on the present, experiencing thoughts, feelings, and sensations but not judging them.”[2] In other words, mindfulness is being mindful of what’s going on in your head, in your feelings, and so on.
I guess it's alright and even necessary to pause and gather oneself once in a while. But you know who is mindful, God is. God is mindful of us, mankind, all of mankind, doing for us on a regular basis what we could not do for ourselves. Maybe, for the believer, we should be mindful of God, checking or regulating our thoughts to His standard (2 Corinthians 10:3 – 5) and not of our own accord but with His help (Isaiah 55:8 – 11) –
setting our hearts and minds on things above (Colossians 3:1 – 2),
thinking about the whatever(s): whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and
admirable ... anything that is excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8), and
praising and worshiping God on a regular basis for just how mindful He is of us and
continues to be moment by moment and day by day.
Personally, I love doing the Yoga and Pilates exercises that I can do. But because of what I have come to know about God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, my thoughts don’t go inward they go outward and upward. I find myself thanking God for who He is and for what He does and for what He enables us to be able to do. In other words, I don’t default to honoring myself but to giving God all the glory I can give Him. So, if f you were to ask me if I practice mindfulness, my answer would be yes but not in the way the world has taught us to think.
Dear Lord,
Please help us all to be more mindful of you and of the people you love. Thank you that each of us is one of the people you love and are constantly mindful of.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Psalm 19 (emphasis mine)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this
meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. [3]
[1] The New International Version (Ps 8:1–9). (2011). Zondervan.
[3] The New International Version (Ps 19:1–14). (2011). Zondervan.
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