Faith & Mindfulness

Helping you navigate the tension between faith & mental health by looking at a tension point, a talking point and a truth to ponder.

Tension Point

“I hear about the benefits of mindfulness to my mental health but as a Christian, I don’t want practices of good mental health to replace practices of my faith, such as prayer. How can I be sure mindfulness is okay for me and won’t lead me down the wrong path?”

Talking Point

The practice of mindfulness has gained considerable attention as a technique for managing stress and enhancing mental wellbeing. But what exactly is mindfulness, and how does it align with our Christian faith?

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness, in its essence, involves deliberately focusing one's attention on the present moment, free from the distractions of incessant thoughts that often clutter the mind. Mindfulness entails quietening the mental "noise" to become more self-aware and attuned to the present moment's thoughts, feelings, and sensations. It can be part of our everyday activities or a discipline of intentionally setting time and space aside, like meditation or contemplative prayer.

Horizontal vs Vertical

Mindfulness, without Jesus at the centre, inevitably puts the self at the centre. When this happens, mindfulness becomes a self-centred, horizontal practice; connecting to our needs or emotions in the context of our immediate environment or circumstance. 

As Christians, we may be sceptical about mindfulness because of this, but when integrated with biblical principles, mindfulness can become a transformative practice that deepens our awareness of God and our relationship with Him. When we are mindful of God in the present moment and we acknowledge and welcome His presence, His peace and His voice, our mindfulness becomes vertical - connecting to our needs and emotions in the context of our relationship with God.

Truth to Ponder

So, how can we practise Christian mindfulness in a way that aligns with our faith? Here are some practical tips:

• Start with prayer: Begin each mindfulness practice with prayer, inviting God's presence into the moment. Ask for His guidance in focusing your thoughts and opening your heart to His Presence.

• Ground yourself in Scripture: Incorporate passages of Scripture into your mindfulness practice. Choose verses that resonate with you and reflect on their meaning.

• Focus on gratitude: Cultivate an attitude of gratitude by reflecting on God's blessings in your life. Take time to acknowledge and give thanks for the gifts, both big and small, that God has provided.

• Practice breath awareness: Use your breath as an anchor to the present moment. Take slow, deep breaths.

• Embrace silence: In a world filled with noise and distractions, make space for silence in your life. Set aside time each day to retreat into solitude and silence, allowing yourself to quiet your mind and listen for God's voice.

• Stay present in daily activities: Practise mindfulness in everyday tasks by bringing your full attention to each moment. Whether you're eating, walking, or spending time with loved ones, be fully present and engaged in the experience.

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The Big Christian Mental Health Campaign

We want to do our part to help break the taboo, remove the stigma, and normalise Christ-centered mental health and wellbeing support.

Faith & Asking For Help

Helping you navigate the tension between faith & mental health by looking at a tension point, a talking point and a truth to ponder.

Tension Point

“I struggle to reach out for help. I feel like I SHOULD be able to cope on my own if I have Jesus. He’s all I need. Right?! But the truth is I’m floundering.”

Talking Point

I (Bryn, hello!) was once on holiday with twin nine month old babies. We went down to the buffet restaurant for dinner. We had three other children as well, so my wife queued up with them while I took the twins to find a table.

High chairs were scarce, but I eventually spotted two in the corner. I rushed over and attempted to carry them, as well as the twins, back to our table. So with both twins under one arm, and both highchairs in the other, I huffed and puffed my way towards the table.

Someone immediately jumped up and offered to help. But I smiled and said ‘no, I’m fine’ and struggled on. People gasped. It didn’t look safe and probably wasn’t! At one point I almost dropped them. Eventually one of the staff came over and insisted: ‘no no, let me help’. When he took the highchairs out of my hand, I was immediately relieved.

So what stopped me saying yes the first time?! Pride? A determination to show the world (or maybe myself) I could handle this on my own? I pondered this for the rest of my holiday, with a twinge of embarrassment as to why I attempted to persevere when it was so obvious I needed help.

Have you been struggling in the shadows?

There are times in our lives where we do the very same thing. We lift, and heave and try because we think we are navigating these challenges alone. We believe that the weight we are lifting is our burden to carry (or maybe ours and God's) and we don't want to bother anyone else with them. So, for multiple reasons, we feel too ashamed, embarrassed, prideful or mistrusting to reach out or accept help when it's offered.

What about you, have you been struggling in the shadows? What's stopping you from accepting (or asking for) help?

Truth to Ponder

In Ephesians 6 in The Message version of the bible it says this:

“Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

God didn’t design us to carry our burdens alone.

God has given us tools and weapons to help whatever battles we are fighting, and sometimes those tools and weapons are the people around us: the people God has put in our path to journey with us.

Proverbs 17:17 says "A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need." If God has put friends in your path, He's put them there for times such as this.

Faith & Fear

Helping you navigate the tension between faith & mental health by looking at a tension point, a talking point and a truth to ponder.

Tension Point

"I often feel afraid. And the more I’m aware of my fear, the worse I feel because I know I should 'do better' and 'just have faith'. Which makes me feel like a failing Christian, and so the cycle continues."

Talking Point

The word 'Fear' seems to have been placed in direct opposition to the word ‘Faith’ for such a long time. After all, the phrase ‘do not fear!’ is mentioned a whopping 365 times in the Bible. So it’s easy to think that we shouldn’t be afraid and that God would be displeased if we were. But what if that phrase ‘do not fear’ is actually an invitation and an insight into the nurturing heart of God rather than a berating command?

Let’s just take a little pause here to recognise and honour the important role that fear plays. It is fear that signals us to prepare for danger and to take caution around things that can harm us. It often keeps us safe. Of course, we all have times where we recognise that our fear isn’t actually helping us, but if we can allow our perspective to shift, maybe we can give space for that fear to shift too... just not by force. 

Because what if God’s gentle whisper of ‘Do not fear’ is heard as ‘Do not worry, it’s OK, I’m here’ – a gentle parent’s calming tone to a fearful child needing reassurance, rather than ‘stop being scared'?

Truth to Ponder

My 6yr old is terrified of spiders. The whole house knows when she’s spotted one by her scream. But as I calmly undertake the spider-removal process, with her clung to my side, a transformation starts to take place: her fear seems to ease just by being in the presence of someone who’s not scared.

Could it be that God is not asking you to betray your own emotional responses ("Abi don’t be silly, don’t be daft etc"), but instead to notice how he responds in the same situation ("Look Abi, I’m not scared of it – I know it can’t hurt me... its legs are tickly!") and let your nervous system start to receive safety cues from him?

Thinking like this can help us reframe the story of Jesus sleeping in the boat (Matthew 8:23-27) with the terrified disciples in the storm. What if Jesus’ sleep on that terrifying journey was intentional; a way of showing his disciples it’s possible to be peaceful in a dangerous situation. I often say to my daughter when she’s recovering after a meltdown ‘you can borrow my calm.’ I wonder if Jesus was doing the same?

Maybe it’s only when we’re able to view God as that compassionate loving parent, that we can start to see that some of the things we might fear might not actually need that reaction. It’s ironic, isn’t it, that the more we punish ourselves for feeling fear, the further away God can feel and the scarier life is! But that’s not his intention – he wants to walk with us through the storm, to be a constant peaceful presence in our world, to give us his calm.

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Faith & the Wilderness

Helping you navigate the tension between faith & mental health by looking at a tension point, a talking point and a truth to ponder.

Tension Point

"I feel like I’ve been out in the wilderness when it comes to faith for so long. I wonder if it will ever change?"

Talking Point

Have you ever felt ‘lost in the wilderness’ when it comes to your faith? Do you have a sense of wandering, lostness, a lack of direction or feeling like you aren’t in the place you thought you’d be on your faith journey?

Often, when life is going well and we feel good, we can sense that God is close and our relationship with him is in a good place. But when life is tough, we can feel as if God isn’t as close or that our relationship with him isn’t quite as healthy as we thought it was. 

We may be deeply grieving or coming face-to-face with past trauma. We might have felt on the outskirts of church community or been re-assessing some of our core beliefs. Or maybe we’ve always experienced that wilderness sensation ever since deciding to follow Jesus. Whatever the reason, it can feel lonely, particularly if we can reference times in the past when we have experienced being ‘close’ to God, enjoying fellowship with other believers. 

We often link faith with a sense of being found, known, held, seen and in the right place. But when life gets heavy or we’re hurting, there follows a sense of not being as close to God as the doubts, waves of anger and mistrust seep in. This can feel so disconcerting.

Truth to Ponder

Isn’t it interesting that much of Jesus’ teaching to the people he loves focuses on those who are lost, scattered or hiding? The lost sheep (Luke 15) already belonged to him – it was part of his fold – and yet the sheep still got lost in the wilderness. 

Of course, we refer to being ‘lost’ as not having yet found Jesus, but maybe feeling lost can also embrace the everyday, the highs and lows and daily grind. Jesus says ‘It’s not the healthy that need a doctor but the sick’ (Mark 2:17) And yes, this is in relation to the sickness of sin… but let’s not forget that he was also talking to people who had been cast down socially and spiritually. 

Being ‘lost’ is the acknowledgement that we cannot navigate this life alone, the very need we have to belong to God is the essence of faith. We don’t just need to be ‘found’ once at the beginning of our salvation story, but throughout our lives, in moments of feeling misunderstood, hurting or hiding. Whenever we are ‘lost’ God is right there. He offers us his kindness and compassionate care to re-centre us and meet with us.

Next Steps...? 

Notice what you are experiencing and ask yourself- do I know why I feel distant and lost? Awareness can be the first step in acknowledging what is happening and what you want to be different. 

Why not talk to someone you can trust about what you are experiencing, either a friend or a counsellor or therapist who can help you make sense of your experience in a non-judgemental space. 

Can you show yourself compassion as you daily acknowledge your lostness, and allow yourself to imagine being found by God with kindness and care? (Notice if you find this concept of a gentle God foreign, you may want to address this in further depth, perhaps with a counsellor).

Sometimes this experience can derive from the belief deep inside that God either doesn’t want us close, or will reject us, so we feel safer in the wilderness. These beliefs are valid and it can take some time to unpack the hold they have over us. Exploring this with a professional or one of our facilitators on the Freedom Course can be beneficial.