Relaxation & Meditation

Relaxation & Meditation

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 (NIV)

The world is filled with stressors – job demands, family issues, finances, interpersonal conflict, world events. There are also positive stressors such as a wedding, a new baby, or a new job. Whether positive or negative, every one of us has some kind of stress we experience on a daily basis.

You’ve probably heard someone say that stress will kill you. But in fact it is your response to the stress that is the real issue. God created us to be able to react to things in our world. Before the fall of mankind into sin, all of the “stressors” were positive because humans were in perfect harmony with God. But after the fall, humans were threatened by things in their environment.

Our bodies were created to react to those threats. When we are faced with something that is threatening, our brains jump into action and sound the alarm. This prepares our bodies to fight off the threat or to run from it. This is a natural and healthy response to a real threat such as coming face to face with a bear or taking shelter from a bad storm.

But most of the things that we face on a daily basis are not, in fact, life threatening. A frustrating “customer service” experience, an angry post on Facebook, or a world-wide shortage of toilet paper are certainly not life and death matters – but our brains can react to them as if they are. If we continue to allow these things to bother us and trigger a negative response, it will become a habit and have both long- and short-term effects on our physical, mental, and emotional health.

Although there are many ways to effectively cope with stress, this section looks at the benefits of relaxation and meditation. We will look at the purposeful decision to physically relax our minds and meditate on things that can reduce our overall stress levels.

When you think about meditation, you may think of it as a passive act of emptying your mind and opening yourself up to the universe. This is not Christian meditation. In fact, “opening your mind” to what the universe has to offer is a good way to invite in Satanic influences and demonic activity. Christian meditation involves focusing on God.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Christian meditation doesn’t empty the mind, but rather it fills it with the good and the holy. The constant diet of negativity that we are fed via the news, social media, tv shows, and those around us puts us into a continual stress response. We need to counteract that with the truth and hope of scripture. We need to focus on the reality that for the Christian, this world is not our home.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 (NIV)

The world wants us to conform. One of the ways that it does that is through a constant diet of stress and fear. As Christians we need to fight that with the scripture. Consider these verses:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27 (NIV)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and now grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:30-31 (NIV)

Imagine how much lower our stress levels would be if we would meditate on these verses instead of ruminating on everything that is wrong with the world!

Here are some suggestions for relaxation and meditation to help you to better cope with stress:

Remove the distractions. We live in a world of constant distractions. Since I sat down to write this article, pup one scratched at my leg and pup two barked at the cat, my phone rang, my reminders app reminded me how many items were still on my list, my mail app opened suddenly without being asked, I had to use the bathroom… Not all distractions are bad, but they are distractions. If we want to meditate on God’s Word, we need to find a time and a place where we can minimize them. Enlist the help of your spouse, family members, or friends if necessary. This is not selfish. Remember that even Jesus often went off to be by himself and get away.
Get comfortable. Wear comfortable clothing, find a comfortable place to sit or lay down, grab a glass of water, and do anything else you can to remove physical distractions. Although the guided meditation below has the woman sitting with her legs crossed and her hands on her knees, this would be most uncomfortable for me. You want to be able to focus on God, not on whether or not your legs are going to fall asleep.
Consciously relax your body. Pay attention to any areas that are tense. You may want to tense up that area and then relax it so you can really feel the difference. Take deep breaths to help your body let go of tension and stress. You may want to check out the videos below called “Hit Reset” to help you relax.
Search the scriptures. Consider the things that are causing you stress and look for verses that speak to these things. If you are feeling generalized stress, try searching topics such as home, comfort, and peace. If you go to https://www.bible.com/ you will find a search box at the top. Simply enter a topic and it will bring up a myriad of verses to choose from. Find the verse or verses that speak to you and begin your meditation with that.
Consider the magnitude of God. Psalm 147:4-5 tells us this about God: “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” (NIV). Too often we limit God’s power in our own minds. By focusing on his majesty, it becomes easier to understand that he is still in control and he will care for us.
Fix your eyes on Jesus. In Hebrews we are told this: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV). Jesus loves us beyond measure. By living in his love, we can be reassured and comforted.
Listen. The Holy Spirit of Christ lives inside every believer, and he speaks to us when we are prepared to listen. As you meditate on God’s Word, his majesty, and the love of Jesus, you are preparing yourself to hear that “still small voice” of God through the Spirit. If you are given an impression or a specific thing stands out to you, write it down. Again, we are not going to “empty our minds” but rather focus in on what is good and holy. And if you don’t hear anything, don’t worry!
Repeat! Find regular times that you can continue to practice Christian meditation. The world will not stop throwing stressors at us, so we need to be sure that we are countering it often. If possible, make this a part of your daily life. The video below called “Tips For Scripture Meditation” can help you develop a plan.

Resources

“10 Min Christian Meditation to Release Stress” with Caroline Williams Yoga.

Royalty-free images from Videoblocks.com

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