“It’s one less thing I have to think about.” That’s that advertising strategy now for a fabric softener that you attach to the wall of your dryer. Come to think of it, it’s the same concept as a birth control contraceptive, denture adhesive, and toilet paper rolls with three times the paper so that you don’t have to change the roll as often. Where’s it all going to end?
More important to me than when this could end is what this trend seems to be indicative of—what does it say about us? Is taking our medication everyday really that big a hardship? Is it really so hard to remember to grab a dryer sheet for the dryer? Are we that lazy, busy, or distracted that we have to have so much more paper on hand to make sure our behinds get cleaned?
Here’s an old-fashioned word for you: mindfulness. It seems old-fashioned because it’s really quite out of fashion to act, think, and behave in a mind-full manner. We aren’t mind-full of what we eat when we eat. We’re usually stuffing our faces at our desks, in front of the TV, or while we drive down the road. Most people can’t remember the last time they sat as a family and enjoyed a meal with conversation—they probably can’t even tell you what they ate for dinner. This lack of mindfulness results in our overeating which only adds to the overwhelming battle of the bulge plaguing our society.
Our language is just as concerning. We speak without realizing what we’re saying to whom and where. I’ve taught job skill classes to folks who are completely unaware of their use of expletives as adjectives. When you ask them what they said they can’t tell you. There’s no sense of the inappropriateness of certain conversations in front of different people or in different places.
Lack of mindfulness doesn’t stop there. I believe it’s a serious problem for us as believers. How many times have you gone to worship with a multitude of things vying for our attention, only to leave and be unable to answer basic questions about the morning message. We give way to any number of distractions rather than focusing our hearts and minds on the matters that ultimately matter.
Do you realize that God is mindful of you? The Psalmist marvels at this as he asks the question: what is man that you are mindful of him? (Psalm 8) We’re told in the New Testament that God knows exactly how many hairs are on each of our heads. Imagine that. Nothing happens to us that catches him unaware. He doesn’t need a sticky note to be reminded to meet our need. We are never an item that is crossed off his To Do List. How is it that we think we can operate less mindfully of Him?
I believe the Word gives us two means for living more intentionally and mindfully. First, Jesus taught his followers the key is what we seek first. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (the stuff of life and living—including dryer sheets) will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33) We don’t need one less thing to think about spiritually, we need to think about putting the right thing first. We are also to: 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3) Consider him, be mindful of him, so that you will not grow weary, lose heart, or become spiritually lazy.
Do you really need one less thing to think about or do you need to getting your thinking prioritized? There’s an old hymn that might make the process a little easier: Turn your eyes upon Jesus…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR0LiRiz4l4
No comments:
Post a Comment