TABLE TALK
MORE THAN MINDFULNESS I
by mathew block
n recent years, there has been a growing focus on “mindfulness” as a way of managing stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. The practice, which is derived from Eastern religions, encourages people to engage in a sort of self-aware meditation on the present—by focusing on one’s own breathing, for example—as a way of achieving greater calm and other psychological benefits. I don’t pretend to know how effective the practice of mindfulness is for managing mental health. Some people seem to find it helpful; others may not. And there seems to be no consensus on its use among medical experts. But regardless of its potential health benefits, there is no denying the importance of mindfulness as a spiritual practice. Christians are called to keep their minds focused and attentive. The only question is this: on what exactly should we set our minds? St. Paul gives us a clear and straightforward answer: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). And the author of Hebrews is even more clear, telling us to keep our eyes focused on Christ (12:2). When we look instead to the cares of this world, there are grave consequences for faith, as Jesus warns (Mark 4:18-19). But keeping our eyes on our Saviour brings peace, even in the midst of pain and sorrow. “To set the mind on the flesh is death,” St. Paul writes, “but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:5-6). So too Isaiah says: “You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (26:3). And yet, we do not always feel that “perfect peace,” do we? Too often our minds are drawn away from Christ to focus on other needs and sorrows. Personal tragedy, division in our society, and world events all seem conspired to draw our attention away from Christ. It’s a situation Jochen Klepper describes all too well: “Nights will bring their sadness and rob our hearts of peace, and sin in all its madness around us may increase” (LSB 337). No, we do not always feel peace in this world. Our minds wander all too often. All too often our eyes slip from Christ to settle on things below. What good news it is then to know that our Saviour’s mind does not similarly wander! The Israelites, worried that God had abandoned them in the exile, were once comforted through the prophet Isaiah. “I will not forget you,” God promised the people. “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands” (49:15-16). He makes the same promise to us today. Our God does not forget us; He remains deeply and intimately concerned with every aspect of our lives. He watches over us at all times (Proverbs 15:3). He is never far from any of us (Acts 17:27). Indeed, He is with us always and forever (Matthew 28:20). And even though our minds drift from Him, He keeps us ever in mind. For even “if we are faithless, He remains faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13). The only thing He ever forgets is our sin (Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 8:12). So
great is Jesus’ concern for you, so dearly does He bear you in mind, that He was willing to die in your place to save you from that sin—to put it out of mind once and for all through His death on a cross. What great love! What strange and wonderful miracle; God dies that we might live! Like the Psalmist, we cry in surprised delight: “What is man that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4). In this issue, we seek to be mindful of the “mind”—both God’s mind towards us as well as the state of our own minds. Rev. Ling Pui Yeong unpacks what it means for us to have the “mind of Christ” (page six). Rev. Adam Chandler, meanwhile, encourages us to be “Christian philosophers” and use well the minds we have been given as we seek to understand the world God has made (page nine). Finally, Jennifer Kerr discusses mental health, drawing out the connections between the health of the mind and the teachings of our faith (page twelve). I pray their words help you to see Christ more clearly and fix your mind upon Him ever more. Oh God, as a magnet draws iron, draw our wandering hearts and minds to You. Set our eyes upon Your Son. And when we fail to keep Him in mind, dear Father, remind us. Grant us Your Spirit, Lord, to comfort us with the knowledge of Your own vigilant watch over us—Your own mindfulness—and give us peace. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:7 -
THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN | September/October 2023
5
