One of my favorite lines is “To be spiritual is to pay attention.” The problem I have is that I am easily distracted so I do not pay attention enough. I attended a recent workshop by Dr. Amit Sood on Attention and Interpretation Therapy. This space is not sufficient to address the breadth of what he discussed, but I thought he had some good ideas for training attention that could be helpful in expanding our spiritual awareness and allow us to experience more frequent glimpses of God.
We often have our brain working on planning, problem solving, worrying, and identifying threats. Some of this is essential for survival, but excessive attention on this creates stress, anxiety, and depression. We can train our mind to spend more time and energy on joyful and kind attention.
At least four times a day take 10-20 minutes to cultivate joyful attention. Take time at the beginning and end of the day to think of five things for which you are grateful. Use relaxation techniques such as gentle stretching or attending to breathing. Pay attention to sensory experiences such as the softness of the carpet, the warmth of the shower, the taste of food. Spend 10-20 minutes a day with nature paying attention to detail and noticing complexity and beauty. Use music or art as a substitute for nature time when the weather is inclement. Try to see the people closest to you as though you are seeing them after a long absence. At least four times a day, slow things down and paying attention to the joyful, positive, and beautiful aspects of life.
Kind attention is meeting people with compassion, acceptance, love, and forgiveness. Dr. Sood says that one simple way to build feelings of kindness for the human community is to silently bless or wish well the first twenty people you meet each day. Be conscious of kindness when interacting with people instead of falling back into default, habitual responses. This is simply one more way to put on the mind of Christ and enjoy the wonders of creation and the wonderful people God has placed in our lives. It is one more way to watch for God in the midst of life. May you take some moments today to pay attention, to be still, and know that God is God.
See you in church…..
Loren
