Mindfulness

"Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am?"

- Jesus, John 14:9

"Mindfulness isn't difficult. We just need to remember to do it."

- Sharon Salzburg

I wonder if it bothers you as much as it does me when you're talking with someone who's not fully present -- I mean… the lights are on but nobody's home… they're pre-occupied… they're distracted… they're clearly somewhere else, thinking about something else, even though they are standing right in front of you.  And maybe it wouldn't be quite so bad… except, they asked you to tell them what was wrong. They invited you to offload that burden. So, when you did… as you opened up… and began pouring out your heart about that painful situation that was driving you up a wall… you see them glance at their phone… or sneak a peek at their watch… or mindlessly grunt out an "Uh-huh...or..."Oh wow"...or..."No kidding"...or some disaffected, rote response. That makes me nuts! And often, I will call them on it by saying, "Got somewhere to be?" It's disappointing, isn't it, when you're sharing a serious issue with someone whose opinion matters to you… and their heart and mind is not fully present in the moment with you.

I believe that one of the saddest statements Jesus ever made was to Philip in John 14:9. Jesus had just told His twelve friends that He was going to die. Peter, in particular, was very upset by the news. So, Jesus tells him not to worry because He is going to Heaven to prepare a place for them, and that, one day, He will return as the Risen Lord to take them to the Father. And Jesus tells them that they will love the Father because He's just like Him. But Philip protests and says, "Jesus, that's not good enough for me. I want to see the Father right now" (v.8). Jesus looks at him and says, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know me?" And that's the saddest thing Jesus ever said to someone.

How can you live with someone for so long and totally miss the essence… the value… the gift… that they are to you? That's the question, isn't it?

For three years, Philip ate and slept and worked and talked and walked with Jesus. He witnessed Jesus healing the sick and helping the hurting and befriending the friendless and feeding the hungry. He heard Jesus describing in intimate detail the depth of God the Father's passionate love for all His children. Philip was present physically when Jesus declared that He had been sent by the Father from heaven, not only to reveal God's heart for His people, but also to make provision for them to live in a personal relationship with Him forever. So, one has to wonder… if Philip was present with Jesus… how could he have missed who He is? How does that happen? Mindlessness!

Ever been in the presence of someone and totally missed the gift they were to you? Guilty! I'd be embarrassed for Candace… the love of my life… to tell you how many unrecorded moments I was physically present with her while she was pouring out her heart… and I was preoccupied… by a game… or a beep on my phone… or a random thought in my head. Mindlessness is a preoccupied mind… a distracted heart… a divided soul… an inattentive body… It's not being fully present in the moment! Mindfulness, on the other hand, is being fully present, in the moment, in body, mind, heart and soul.

When our son, Tyler, was six years old, I was trying to get him to improve his performance at the plate in tee ball by helping him focus. (I know they don't keep score in tee ball, but I always did… I know… pray for my children). "Son," I'd say, "You're thinking about too many things… how to hold the bat… where to put your feet… that McDonalds Happy Meal. You're thinking about so many things that you're not fully in the moment. So… just focus on the ball!" I said, "It's all about mindfulness!" He said, "Dad, what's mindfulness?" And I said…

"Mindfulness is a distinct state of consciousness that is characterized by an acute internal awareness that the only reality that warrants laser-like attention… is not Yesterday's moment… and it's not Tomorrow's moment… Rather… It's the moment you're in right now! So, give yourself fully to it!"

And after a long pause, Ty asked, "Dad… You talking to me?"

What you and I need is a mindful revolution! There's a reason why we forget where we put our car keys… where we misplaced our car in that Nordstrom's parking lot… why we find ourselves wondering if we left the coffee pot on… Mindlessness. And it robs us of the gift before us!

Listen… if Jesus came to your house today to have a cup of coffee with you… would you, or could you, be fully present with Him in that moment? Or would you be distracted by anxieties… preoccupied with stresses… disturbed by pressures… instead of being blown away that the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, who rules over all of Heaven and over all the Earth… the One who loved you so much that He died on that cross to forgive you and rose from the dead to live in relationship with you… that this God would show up in your living room just to have a cuppa joe with you? Guess what? He did! He's waiting for you right now! Every time you crack open His Word… every time you begin a conversation with Him… every time you raise your voice to worship Him...

The Lord of all lords and the King of all kings is fully present for you in that moment. He deserves nothing less from us!

AMEN

Pastor Harry

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