Be aware, be very very aware!

In previous posts on this blog I have extolled what I believe to be the potential of using mindfulness in general and mindful meditation in particular to enhance one's spiritual life (popularly referred to as spiritual formation). The goal of spiritual formation (or as Dallas Willard calls it - spiritual trans-formation) is to transform one's character into the character of Christ. This involves a transformation in thoughts, desires, behaviors, and ways of relating to God and others.

I have heard it said (though it may only be a legend) that when Michelangelo was asked how he created his famous statue of David, he stated, " It is easy. Just chip away the stone that does not look like David." I propose that spiritual trans-formation is a daily moment-by-moment process orchestrated by the Holy Spirit's chipping away all that is not Christ. Our one and only responsibility in this endeavor is to be available and responsive to this 'chipping away' process. But how we do this is the question. I believe it is through an enhanced awareness. After all, how can you change what you are unaware of? Awareness, it seems to me, is a primary way to be available to the Holy Spirit's desire and power to create change in us. Without it, we have a tendency to be 'auto-pilot' responders. Let me explain.

Suppose I have a lustful thought (remember this is just hyperbole). My auto-pilot tendency is to splash some color on the thought to make it more vivid in my mind. Then I may chase the thought, following it through all the twists and turns it may take me. The potential result is captured in James:1:14-15

                            But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire                                            Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it
                            is fully grown, brings forth death (ESV).

James uses a fishing metaphor here. When I was a boy, my father would take me bass fishing with him occasionally. He had a favorite fishing hole in this tiny cove on a lake in the piney woods of East Texas. I remember that his favorite lure was called the "tiny topwater."  When he cast it out and began to slowly reel it back in, this brightly colored and feathered lure would splash just across the surface of the water. Those unsuspecting bass, laying down in their protective environs would see that delectable looking morsel and be "lured" out of their hideaways. And when they went to take a nibble, they were hooked! Fish fry!

We can be lured by our auto-pilot tendencies. It could be said that this auto-pilot responding is a  function of one's sin nature and learning from others' sin natures (Deut. 5:9-10). The solution to auto-pilot tendencies is moment-by-moment awareness. And this is where mindful meditation practices come in. Probably, one of the most frequently mentioned benefits of mindfulness meditation is the cultivation of our awareness. As I breathe-in and breathe-out, my mind has a tendency to wander (we might say it is lured away by innumerable random thoughts). Each time I become aware that my mind has wandered, I gently bring it back to my breath. And through the miracle of neuroplasticity, I create new neural pathways for awareness. I enhance my ability to be aware in the moment.

With this enhanced awareness, I can then be more immediately aware of any time that I am having thoughts, desires, behaviors, or failures in relating ¹  that do not portray the character of Christ. Mindful awareness could be proffered as a way of more volitionally cooperating with the Holy Spirit in regulating oneself (i.e., as I become more aware of a sinful behavior or pattern of behaviors, I can choose to evoke the power of the Holy Spirit in changing that behavior).

Deepok Chopra said, "a person is a pattern of behavior, of a larger awareness."  What do you wish to pattern your behavior after?  If the answer is the character of Christ, then the cultivation of awareness is, I believe, a tool you want in your spiritual formation toolbox.

¹ For a wonderful treatment of our failures in relating, see Chapter 10, Transforming our Social Dimension, in Dallas Willard's Renovation of the Heart (NavPress).

Can Mindful Meditation be a Thin Place?

Celtic Christians (NO!!! I 'm not talking about the Boston basketball team). This Celtic - pronounced KEL-tik - carried on a tradition passed down from the early Druid days. The pagan Druids believed certain geographical locations brought one closer to the 'spirit world.'  When the Celtics converted to Christianity somewhere in the early 5th century, these places became sacred sites where one could be closer to the Holy Spirit and receive guidance. These 'thin places,' as they were called, were "places that give us an opening into the magnificence of God" (adapted from Sylvia Maddox). Eric Weiner in his book Man Seeks God said of such places, "I dream of places that beguile and inspire, sedate and stir, places where, for a few blessed moments I loosen the death grip on life, and can breathe again."
And the contemporary poet, Sharlande Sledge, offers this description:

'Thin Places,' the Celts call this space, 

both seen and unseen, 

Where the door between the world

And the next is cracked open for a moment

And the light is not all on the other side.

God shaped space. Holy

Whatever is said of these thin places, they are a place of an immediacy of experience and a hallowed space and time. 

In my last post (yes, I am aware it was two years ago) I spoke of using mindful meditation as a means of spiritual transformation; as a way of drowning out distractions and potentially allowing me to be more present and available to the Holy Spirit. As I breathe in and out I become aware of any distracting thoughts or images and return to my meditative state by saying to myself the secret word (or mantra, if you will) that helps direct my attention back to my breathing; back to a place of non-striving (Ps. 46:10) where I just listen; listen to the Spirit's still small voice (I Ki 19:12). I begin and end this season of contemplation with prayer (I typically say the Lord's Prayer at the end). I often precede it with a time in the Scriptures (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:2). For me, this experience is becoming one of my thin places. I still enjoy others as well, but this is becoming a befitting place- a place of an immediacy of experience and a hallowed space and time. A place I can visit whenever I wish, wherever I wish. Is it the only way to feel close to God? Of course not! But I have found that in the hustle bustle of daily life, it is a way that is readily available to me. I sometimes also begin with an image. I see a scene where I am in a meadow lush with green grass. And I am walking up an incline where at the crest there is a beautiful old oak tree. Sitting under the oak tree is Jesus. As I arrive, he stands and embraces me with his arms in a gesture of love and welcome. He is glad to see me. And in this "God-shaped space" nothing seems to matter  so much. Being with Jesus is the ultimate thin place. For he said of himself, "The Kingdom of God is among you" (Lk. 17:21) and "...whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn. 14:9). It doesn't get any thinner than that!

As I was writing this post, I Googled 'contemplative arts,' looking for some information, and lo and behold, this picture popped up. I laughed out loud and like to think Jesus was laughing with me.