Mindfulness | An invitation for rest

I grab my phone. I know, here I go again. But I am kind of curious how others handle this situation. I search #rest and #digitaldetox and on Instagram I read something about mindfulness. Could that be something for me?

On Wikipedia I read: “Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention in the present moment without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness practice has been employed to reduce depression, to reduce stress, anxiety, and in the treatment of drug addiction.”

Mindfulness. Wikipedia calls it the practice of attention, others call it a lifestyle. A lifestyle in which you focus on the accepting of inevitable negative and positive experiences. In this you are, in a non-reactive way, aware of the physical and spiritual sensations and situations of the moment. For a lot of people mindfulness exists out of meditation and yoga.

“Non-reactive?” I think to myself. Oof, that’s where it goes wrong for me. Not reacting to all those sounds, notifications and impulses of my phone alone… That is going to be quite a challenge!

Okay, now that sounds actually pretty good! But where does this need for mindfulness actually come from? Where does this idea come from?

Mindfulness isn’t something new. The phenomenon originates from Buddhism and it’s about 2.500 years old. Yet it seems more relevant than ever. The world is rapidly changing and our options are endless. The good life is within reach.

But at the same time (or maybe because of it) people struggle more than ever with mental illnesses. I know and see many people who are burdened by tension, fear and anxiety. No wonder that a lifestyle of peace, wonder, relaxation, attention, love and calm becomes worthwhile! Right?

There’s nothing wrong with a lifestyle like this. Although I wonder whether reducing mindfulness to a lifestyle is completely justified. Mindfulness comes from Buddhism and Buddhism is a religion, right? You can’t reduce that to a way of life, can you?

You might think,“No, Buddhism has no god, so it is not a religion!” True, until you see religion as a form of meaning or spirituality, then Buddhism is definitely a religion. Buddhism offers answers to the deepest questions of man’s life: a vision of the mortality of man and the suffering in the world. So there is indeed a doctrine of faith!

Buddhism is not the only religion in which the principles of mindfulness play a role. According to Philip Troost, a Dutch author, the Bible already contains many mindfulness principles. He is convinced that mindfulness is not an invention of Buddhists, but of God himself. The Christian creation story is a good example of this:

You will see many of these principles in the life of Jesus Christ too, when it comes to mindfulness, attention and rest. In fact, peace, tranquility, love and grace are core concepts in the Bible. In the New Testament we read several times about how Jesus managed to create peace in the midst of all kinds of chaos:

• Peace in a crowd (Mark 6: 38-42):

When Jesus speaks to an audience of more than 5,000 people, it is already getting late. His friends suggest that Jesus send the crowd home to eat. Then Jesus says, “Give them something to eat.” Panic! How can you provide so much food in such a short time? Then Jesus asks, “How many loaves do you have?” There turned out to be only five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus told everyone to sit down. He took the five loaves and the two fishes, looked up to heaven and blessed them. Then He broke the loaves into pieces. He gave it to the disciples to distribute. He also divided the two fishes among all the people. And the people ate until they had enough.

• Calmness during a storm (Mark 4: 38-41)

One day Jesus is on a boat with his friends. Suddenly it starts to storm. The waves crash into the boat and the boat fills with water. Jesus is sleeping in the back of the boat. His friends wake Him up and cry out, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Then Jesus stood up and said sternly to the wind and the lake: “Quiet! Be still!” And the wind died down and the water got all calm. Then He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Whatever the situation, we can also learn about rest from the life of Jesus. Peace in our storms, rest in the midst of what is going on around us. Jesus teaches us how we too can find that rest. Christianity teaches that whatever storm you find yourself in, you can look to God and trust that He will give you rest in your chaos.

I hear a strange sound coming from my phone. Different from what I’m used to. I grab my phone out of curiosity. A message from the Bible app Youversion

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

It is time for true rest.

Take a critical look at your own life. Do you make room to relax, to rest? Where and when do you experience peace, true inner peace? So often the things we go to for "rest" are not restful, but only add more inner noise. Stillness can be uncomfortable at first when we aren't used to it. But perseverance will come with great reward!

For centuries, the invitation to rest has resounded. Inner peace. It is an invitation from God to you, He extends His hand to you. You can find rest with Him. Just give it a try.