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Finding Peace in the Presence of God: Exploring the Intersection of Meditation and Christianity

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Meditation and Christianity may seem like two very different concepts, but in reality, they can complement each other quite nicely. As a Christian who practices meditation regularly, I can attest to the benefits that both practices have brought into my life. In this article, I would like to share my personal experience and understanding of how meditation and Christianity can coexist in a person’s spiritual journey.

Firstly, let’s define what we mean by meditation. Meditation is a practice that involves focusing your mind on a particular object, thought, or activity to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. It is not a religious practice, but rather a tool that can be used to enhance any spiritual or secular practice. In the context of Christianity, meditation can involve prayer, reading scripture, or simply sitting in silence and allowing yourself to be present in the moment.

One of the main benefits of meditation is that it can help you develop a deeper connection with God. By quieting your mind and focusing your attention on God, you can create a space for him to speak to you. This can be done through prayer or simply by sitting in silence and listening for His voice. When you meditate, you become more aware of God’s presence in your life, and you begin to see the world through his eyes.

Another benefit of meditation is that it can help you manage stress and anxiety. As a Christian, it’s easy to get caught up in the worries of daily life and forget to take time to be still and connect with God. Meditation allows you to let go of your worries and anxieties and focus on the present moment. By doing this, you can find peace and clarity in the midst of chaos.

Now, you may be wondering, how does meditation fit into the Christian faith? Isn’t it a practice that belongs to other religions, such as Buddhism or Hinduism? The answer is that meditation is not tied to any particular religion or belief system. It is simply a tool that can be used to enhance your spiritual practice, regardless of what that practice may be.

In fact, there are many examples of meditation in the Bible. For instance, in Psalm 46:10, we are told to “be still and know that I am God.” This verse encourages us to take time to be quiet and connect with God, which is essentially what meditation is all about. Similarly, in Mark 1:35, we are told that Jesus would often go to a quiet place to pray and connect with God. This is a perfect example of how meditation can be incorporated into a Christian practice.

In conclusion, meditation and Christianity can coexist in a beautiful and meaningful way. Meditation can help you deepen your connection with God, manage stress and anxiety, and find peace and clarity in the midst of chaos. It is not a practice that belongs to any particular religion or belief system, but rather a tool that can be used to enhance any spiritual or secular practice. If you’re interested in incorporating meditation into your spiritual journey, I encourage you to give it a try and see how it can transform your life.

Some Related Websites you may enjoy

  1. Christian Meditation – This website offers resources, articles, and courses on Christian meditation. https://christianmeditation.com/
  2. Contemplative Outreach – An organization dedicated to teaching contemplative practices, including Christian meditation. https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/
  3. The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society – A non-profit organization that promotes contemplative practices in various fields, including religion and spirituality. https://www.contemplativemind.org/
  4. The Jesus Meditations – A guided meditation series based on the life and teachings of Jesus. https://www.thejesusmeditations.com/
  5. BibleGateway – An online Bible resource that includes various translations of the Bible and a search feature for specific verses related to meditation and mindfulness. https://www.biblegateway.com/

Ray Barbier

Family, Health

Meditation holds the potential to help treat children suffering from traumas, difficult diagnoses or other stressors – a behavioral neuroscientist explains

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Meditation and mindfulness techiques are becoming increasingly common in school settings. Alexander Egizarov/EyeEm

Hilary A. Marusak, Wayne State University

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Children actively meditating experience lower activity in parts of the brain involved in rumination, mind-wandering and depression, our team found in the first brain-imaging study of young people under 18 years old. Over-activity in this collection of brain regions, known as the default mode network, is thought to be involved in the generation of negative self-directed thoughts – such as “I am such a failure” – that are prominent in mental disorders like depression.

In our study, we compared a simple form of distraction – counting backward from 10 – with two relatively simple forms of meditation: focused attention to the breath and mindful acceptance. Children in an MRI scanner had to use these techniques while watching distress-inducing video clips, such as a child receiving an injection.

We found that meditation techniques were more effective than distraction at quelling activity in that brain network. This reinforces research from our lab and others showing that meditation techniques and martial arts-based meditation programs are effective for reducing pain and stress in children with cancer or other chronic illnesses – and in their siblings – as well as in schoolchildren during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study, led by medical student Aneesh Hehr, is important because meditation techniques such as focused attention on the breath or mindful acceptance are popular in school settings and are increasingly used to help children cope with stressful experiences. These might include exposures to trauma, medical treatments or even COVID-19-related stress. https://www.youtube.com/embed/SpjWb9teKSY?wmode=transparent&start=0 Here’s what happened at one elementary school that made meditation part of its curriculum.

Why it matters

Researchers know a lot about what is happening in the brain and body in adults while they meditate, but comparable data for children has been lacking. Understanding what is happening in children’s brains when they meditate is important because the developing brain is wired differently from the adult brain.

These findings are also important because caregivers and health care providers often use distraction methods like iPads or toys to help children cope with pain and distress, such as medical procedures. However, those techniques may largely rely on the prefrontal cortex, which is underdeveloped in youth.

This means that stress and emotion regulation techniques that rely on the prefrontal cortex may work well for adults but are likely to be less accessible to children. Meditation techniques may not be dependent upon the prefrontal cortex and may therefore be more accessible and effective for helping children manage and cope with stress.

What’s next

We still have a great deal to learn about how meditation affects brain development in children. This includes what types of meditation techniques are most effective, the ideal frequency and duration, and how it affects children differently.

Our study focused on a relatively small sample of 12 children with active cancer, as well as survivors who may have experienced significant distress over the diagnosis, treatment and uncertainty about the future. Future studies with larger sample sizes – including children with a wider diversity of diagnoses and exposures to early adversity or trauma – will help researchers like us to better understand how meditation affects the brain and body in children.

Our findings underscore the need to understand precisely how meditation techniques work. Exciting recent studies have begun to examine how participating in mindfulness and meditation-based programs can shape brain functioning in children.

Understanding how these techniques work is also essential for optimizing how they could be applied in health care settings, such as coping with needle-related procedures or for helping children manage the negative effects of stress and trauma.

Hilary A. Marusak, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Random Thoughts

Get through each day

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Illustration depicting thought.
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Just Passing on a Email from a friend I thought everyone would enjoy.

Original Author M. Barr

Okay I decided to pass along a few secrets I have discovered that help me get through each day.

  1. Wake up.
  2. Find something to smile about. To this end. I do what Paul (New Testament) says. If there is anything noble anything good anything of good report, dwell upon these things. I find it simple to just remember things I have enjoyed doing in my life and think upon them.
  3. Whatever is in your mind is what you will focus on. Whatever you think about will reflect in your attitude. If you find yourself hung up on a thought that upsets you or brings you down. Try listening to music that is up beat and singing along with the song. This one is important. Its takes effort but the reward is simply a better attitude. With your every thought you create the world as you believe it to be.
  4. Stop comparing yourself to others. What you will find is that there are those below you and those above you. Do not look down on anyone and try not to envy those that have more material things than you. All you really need is in you at this very moment. So many people are looking for happiness when it is as simple as believing you’re happy and you ARE.
  5. Find something you enjoy and do it!
  6. Forgive the world and move on. Stop looking for negative things to justify your negative mood. Get over it. Forgive the event and make peace with yourself about whatever it is and pick up the pieces and carry on. Stop carrying around that piece of shit baggage and put it down. Put it down right now and every time you pick it up gently remind yourself to let it go.
  7. I find myself meditating 70% of the day. Meditating is simply thinking upon a thing. Sometimes I think about nothing at all. Just content to be in the moment. After all is said and done the moment is all there really is, the past and the future are untouchable but can be accessed through thought.
  8. Relax take a deep breathe and laugh.

 

Pug

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