Episode 40

TODAY’S READING:

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.

Psalm 119:15

 

TGIF friends! 

 

Did you know there are over 100 mentions of meditation in the bible? God has made it abundantly clear that we should quiet our minds and meditate on his word. We should find time to sit in silence or with soft music playing in the background so that we can spend alone time with Jesus. 

 

Most of us find no purpose in meditation. I know it was very hard for me to get into the swing of it at first. It may be because, as a western society, it is outside of the norm, and we associate meditation with other practices and religious beliefs. Yet the very bible we love and adore asks us to quiet down and meditate on the word of God. So here is a picture for you to help you understand how important it is to meditate as often as possible. 

 

You shower daily (maybe some of you shower every other day, or maybe some of you even shower twice a day. It’s up to debate in some cultures), but no matter the length in between your showers, you do shower often. We shower to clean our bodies of the filth we’ve come into contact with since our last shower. Sometimes we don’t work out in this time, but a shower is still necessary because although you might not see the sweat, your body has naturally shed dead skin cells and other particles that require we to shower. Now your mind is exactly the same. Every single day we learn new things, make new discoveries about ourselves and the people around us. We encounter new struggles and new blessings. Meditation is like a shower – for your thoughts and your soul. We can rid our minds of the poison we soaked over the last day. We can have open one on one conversations with God. He can help us file our thoughts and bask in the blessings of our souls. So If you shower every day, you should definitely meditate every day! How can you leave your body squeaky clean and forget your mind? 

 

My sister is actually the person who introduced it to me. She would send me a few videos, and honestly, I would fall asleep sometimes. I am no expert, but even dosing in and out is okay. To me, it was a sign that my body needed to rest. Meditation can be done in many ways. I always meditate with instrumental worship music. I pray to connect with God the Father, and I close my eyes. You can start there or look into different deep breathing exercises or relaxation exercises. 

 

I do this either as I wake up in the mornings and ask my Google Mini to time about 5 minutes, or I try to find time in the middle of my workday. We all take mini-breaks during the day, but today instead of picking up your phone and scrolling for 5 minutes. Try getting alone with your thoughts.

 

What if you’re scared to be left alone with your thoughts? I am going to address this because it was and still is a real fear of mine. Depression is very real. Anxiety is also very real. I used to work so much so that I didn’t have to stop and think about the pain I once felt when I was alone. As a defense mechanism, I kept my mind busy. The thought process was that if my mind never stopped, those horrible thoughts would never creep through. By ignoring my depression, and my horrible sabotaging inner critic, I made the journey to healing longer than it had to be. 

 

My advice to you if you are dealing with something similar is to first address the depression and seek therapy if necessary. There are many Christian online Therapists you can benefit from. My second piece of advice is to give it to Jesus. Start with a few minutes of journaling for self-discovery, followed by 5 minutes of meditation on what God has to say about you. 

 

If you need prayer – please reach out! I would be honored to pray over you. 

 

PRAYER

Father, today we pray for all of those who suffer from depression, anxiety, or any mental illness. We pray that you heal them from the inside out. Like anything, I pray they allow you to do work in their life. May we all hand over the clutter that has been built up in our minds over time. May we find time every day to shower ourselves clean of the clutter. We need a clean slate every morning, and we know your mercies are new every day. We give it all to you, Lord. Bless us! It’s in your Holy name that we pray, Amen!