søndag 6. november 2016

It is about mindfulness

NORSK
It feels a little bit strange for me to use the word ‘mindfulness’ in a heading on my blog. Some will  associate the word with ‘new age’ and regard it as an offspring of that era. 

For what I know, it may well be that several of the course-providers draw inspiration from that source, but I know too little about it to draw any conclusion. 

I only know that the main idea with ‘mindfulness’ is to get people to think positive. 

Long before “the age of Aquarius” was claimed as a paradigm-change by the new religious movement, pastor and author Norman Vincent Peale wrote the book ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ in 1952. As a teenager, I read the book in Norwegian translation, and it inspired me. How we use our mind is important.

In 1992 I interpreted Bramwell Tillsley, at that time the Chief of Staff in the Salvation Army. He gave me his own book with the title: “This mind in you” which is a selection of reflections on the letters to the Philippians. The title refers to the verse:

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
Phil 2:5
The section following the verse is often referred to as the “Christ hymn”. It is a beautiful description of the mind of Christ, an example of the ultimate humility. He emptied himself of all claims and rights. He was God, but took the form of a bondservant, and humbled himself and became obedient even to a shameful death on a cross.

You may ask: What has this to do with positive thinking?

My simple answer is: “Everything”

True joy and freedom is to do his will who has created us, because then we also enter into his mindset. The challenge is that we have a tendency to think ‘negative’ about the consequences before we dare to make a full surrender. The key is to start the walk together with him. Together with him, even a stubborn person like me, can learn humility (1).

‘Manna’ for today:

Holiness is a mind that is full of his.
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(1) The fruit of the Spirit is … humility – Gal 5:23

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