Christians Should Not Practice Meditation
Photo by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash
Stop. Look. Listen.
Each of these actions are in my opinion what makes up a rich and fulfilling time spent in mediation.
Last week while joining a friend for a prearranged lunch date she passionately expressed concern about my work. “I’ve been getting your emails and when I see you, I’m not seeing the light in you, are you okay!?” Surprised, I responded “Really, can you explain what you believe you are or aren’t seeing?” Her: “I don’t see the Jannah that I know”. Me: “Have you considered that maybe you don’t know me?”... She then started saying that my last article mentioned meditation, and as Christians, we aren’t to empty our minds and that scripture tells us to fill our mind with the Word of God. She also says that at one point I mentioned self-love, and how the Bible tells us to be selfless. I’ll address that part later, for now, I want to bring your attention to the topic of meditation.
I’ll start with a question. Is it a sin to observe a flower or to find calm at the shore of an ocean? If not, how can it be a sin to observe your own thoughts or internal state?
Is it not a greater sin to run around consumed by the past and worrying about the future? What about allowing fear-based thoughts to fuel your action or inaction? This way of existing is just that, existing, not living. Why? Because we miss out on God’s awe-inspiring miracles that are happening right in front of our eyes in the present moment. Meditation simply helps me live in this state of awe and wonder more often.
While there are many practices of meditation, making time for solitude to improve our overall well-being is certainly not a sin. It’s non-religious and is not excluded from the Bible.
Whether we recognize it or not, we are often practicing a form of meditation all the time, like when we allow the seemingly mundane act of cleaning or gardening to carry us away from overthinking into serenity. And in today's go-go society our souls long for this kind of respite.
For those brief moments, we put our full attention into the present moment. There are no thoughts or opinions, just total awareness or as I say, observation of what is.
Unfortunately for some professed Christians, the word meditation when seen outside of the Bible provokes a knee-jerk response rooted in ignorance and fear. Perhaps because of its association with other religions, but I try not to assume intent. This, Beloved is what I believe is one of the greatest deceptions of the Faith. That is, to assume something is wrong all because you don’t understand.
As with any living thing, there will be growth
I mentioned in my latest article 5 Simple Ways to Maximize Moments of Silence, that I’ve deliberately practiced meditation for over 20 years. As with any living thing, there will be growth. I started as a result of suffering from severe panic attacks. This was AFTER I professed Christ as Lord. Fortunately for me, my church was small enough to where I could call my pastor on the phone in the middle of the night to guide me towards relief. The call would go like this: " Pastor Hunt, it’s doing it again, I can’t breathe, I’m scared, I feel like I'm gonna die!” His response was, “Just say the name of Jesus over and over again until you feel better.” I went from months of frantically chanting Jesus every time this happened, to visualizing Him coming to my rescue. I would imagine him walking up to me and taking me by the hand and telling me to take deep breaths and that I was safe. My heart rate would slow down and I’d be blanketed with peace.
I also found every scripture that talked about deliverance from fear to meditate on. It was the combo of meditating on verses and visualizing what the Bible was speaking to me that would eventually bring me out of my anxiety.
To me meditation is different from prayer and much more than “emptying the mind”, as my friend stated, it’s the place where I bring my thoughts, no matter how noble, to a loving hush in order for the spirit of God to become the dominant governing force for the day. And when I do this regularly, 99.9% of the time if a thought occurs or if I’m inspired to action as a result, I can trust that it came, not from my feeble mind, but my spirit.
This very practice alone is what brought me out of one of the darkest seasons of my life. I went from being emotionally unstable to becoming peaceful and became so disciplined at knowing peace, to being an activator and advocate of inner peace for others. My clients receive coaching and practical solutions to their very real problems. And with my proven step-by-step system, they start showing up more powerfully in their spheres of influence, from a place of peace rather than angst, while exponentially increasing their impact, income, and overall well-being.
Have you ever had a panic attack or suffered from fear of bad things happening in the future? Do you have a hard time letting go of painful experiences from the past and it’s stopping you from moving forward? This Beloved, is not God’s best for you and I encourage you to find a trusted person to talk to about it.
If you have questions or would like to inquire about how I can help email me here.
Your sister and resilience specialist,
Coach Jannah
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